The Queen Of England is getting a raise, according to an official announcement from the British royal aides on Tuesday. It is to be a 78 percent raise that will almost double what she is already getting. An explanation that went along with the announcement is that Queen Elizabeth and her family are worth the raise because of the excellent work they do.

The raise does not include money for the family's personal use. It will be used to cover the cost of renovating the 775-room Buckingham Palace that is in dire need of repairs. The 60-year-old electrical wiring needs to be fixed as well as the water pipes, the heating system, and other fixtures.

Renovating the palace is a good idea because it will improve conditions for more than half a million people who tour the mansion.

Queen Elizabeth's finances

Last year, Queen Elizabeth received $54.6 million from the government in tax-free income. This year, her 78 percent raise means she will receive $97 million. Sir Alan Reid, The Queen's treasurer, said the queen's raise is fair and appropriate.

Queen Elizabeth collects millions, but she also uses million on travel, staff, security, and upkeep of the royal palaces. She collects $19 million from renting out space in the palaces, but she uses most of it to maintain them. After all her expenses were paid last year, she had only $1.1 million left over that goes into a special emergency fund.

Official duties

It is costly for the royal family to carry out their duties. Records show that last year members of the royal family fulfilled more than 3,000 official assignments. The 91-year-old queen performed 162 assignments while her 96-year-old husband Prince Philip performed 196. It was announced in May that he is retiring from public life later this year.

The total expenses for travel in 2016 and so far in 2017 have amounted to $5.75 million. The most expensive trip was the one Prince Charles took last March to Italy, Romania, and Austria. It cost the royal family $197,000. The cost of using the royal train 14 times last year cost $1.15 million.

Other expenses to maintain the royal family are estimated to be about $440 million each year.

One-third of that amount is for security.

Reactions to the queen's raise

Not everyone approves of Queen Elizabeth getting such a high pay raise. After the announcement was made, many people voiced their disagreement on Twitter. They compared the queen's rise to that of others who get far less.
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