How much taxpayer cash was splashed for Business class flight for Palace aides to scope out Aus

Aussie taxpayers were slugged tens of thousands of dollars to bring a team of Buckingham Palace aides over from London to scope out locations across the country – months before King Charles and Queen Camilla set foot down under.

Aussie taxpayers were slugged tens of thousands of dollars to bring a team of Buckingham Palace aides over from London to scope out locations across the country – months before King Charles and Queen Camilla set foot down under.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws revealed the Australian Government forked out £32,841.22 – or AU$64,000 – for a delegation of Buckingham Palace aides to travel on business class flights to Australia in June.

A Prime Minister and Cabinet spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph a “small group” from the palace “advanced the Royal Visit to Australia” in June to plan the program and assess security requirements.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla pose while in Sydney onOctober 22, 2024. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

“Consistent with usual practice, the Australian Government covered the cost for the Royal Visit,” she said.

“This included the advance.

“The cost of these airfares were split because the Samoan part of the advance program was covered by the United Kingdom’s Sovereign Grant.”

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the total cost of the royal visit to Australian taxpayers came in at just over $640,000.

Australian Taxpayers Alliance executive Brian Marlow hit out at the spend.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla bid farewell at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. Picture: Bianca De Marchi-Pool/Getty Images

“The government doesn’t need to fork out $60,000 of other people’s money to bring over Buckingham Palace aides when a simple Zoom call would suffice, he said.

”In the grand scheme of things, $60k might seem like a drop in the ocean but if Albo is willing to waste our money on something as frivolous as this, voters need to ask themselves what else he’s willing to waste their money on.”

Previous visits by Queen Elizabeth in 2011 and 2006 cost taxpayers $2,687,854 and $1,450,239 respectively.

Originally published as How much taxpayer cash was splashed for Business class flight for Palace aides to scope out Aus