Royal news – live: Palace sources deny that Boris Johnson was asked to give Prince Harry ‘manly pep talk’

An anti-monarchy group has claimed that the true cost of the British royal family is “half a billion a year”.

According to Republic, the royals cost the taxpayer £510m a year, and the group has slammed this expense as unnecessary amid Labour’s bid to cut back on public spending to combat national debt.

This comes as the profits from the Crown Estate exceeded £1.1 billion, resulting in an increase of £45m to the Sovereign Grant, which is reportedly going to be used to finish ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said: “If (Chancellor) Rachel Reeves thinks tough decisions are needed in these difficult times, she needs to start with the royals.

“We’re being told the Budget will be painful.

“Well if that’s true, the cuts must start at the top.

“How can we talk about cutting the winter fuel allowance while wasting half a billion pounds on the royals?

“How does the Government defend this rhetoric of painful decisions when the royals cost us enough to pay 18,000 NHS nurses?

“The Sovereign Grant is spiralling out of control, set to rise by another £45 million a year.

“Yet the true cost of the monarchy is well over half a billion pounds.”

The Duke of Sussex took the opportunity to honour Princess Diana at an awards ceremony in New York.

Harry, 40, attended The Diana Awards yesterday as part of a visit to the city which will see him undertake several high-profile philanthropic engagements.

Set up in honour of the late princess, the awards recognise the achievements of young people who are making a difference in the lives of others.

Harry said: “I applaud you, certainly at your age, to be on this stage, to have the confidence that you do and to be able to speak as clearly and as passionately as you do.”

He added: “I know that my mum would be incredibly proud of you guys… the way that you do it, your activism, your compassion, those two things are so true to how my mum led her life and what she believed in. And the way that you do it is incredible, so thank you.”

A judge has ruled that the Duke of Sussex’s US visa application will remain private following an investigation into its contents after revelations about prior drug taking.

Harry, 40, admitted to taking several illegal substances in the bombshell 2023 memoir Spare, including cocaine and magic mushrooms, raising questions about whether or not he had lied on his application.

US judge Carl Nichols ruled: “The public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke’s immigration records.

“Like any foreign national, the duke has a legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status.”

This comes ahead of the November presidential election, which could see Donald Trump return to the White House. He previously said he would treat Harry like any other citizen should he have lied on his application.