26 September, 2024

Sean Coughlan Royal Correspondent Welcome to an autumnal Royal Watch. This week Prince William has been promoting one of his flagship projects, the Earthshot Prize. He also sent a message to a UN gathering in New York calling for urgent change to protect the environment.  ‌ Princess Anne has been at a particularly poignant event in northern France, where the bodies of World War One soldiers are still being discovered. And opponents of the monarchy have raised questions about how much the royals really cost taxpayers. ‌ Plus, you share your thoughts on whether there could be a thaw in Harry and William’s relationship.

William’s fresh call for climate action Prince William has issued a strong call for change in how we treat the natural world, saying it is “buckling under the pressure of our actions”. ‌ He sent a video message to a United Nations meeting saying that the destruction of the environment is the “most pressing existential threat we face”.

“We must act," Prince William said in his video message. Credit: PA In his warnings on climate change and his call to “make peace with nature”, there were distinct echoes of his father's campaigning. ‌ It also dovetailed with William’s Earthshot awards, which announced finalists this week, featuring environmental innovations from countries including Ghana, Kenya, Kazakhstan and Scotland.

Catherine and her husband joined the King and Queen at church on Sunday. Credit: Newsline Scotland There were also more signs this week of a return from the Princess of Wales, who went to a planning meeting in Windsor Castle about her annual Christmas carol concert. Prince William says make peace with nature

Anne honours lost soldiers More than a century after World War One ended, a new extension to a war cemetery is being opened in northern France, which will be used for soldiers whose bodies are still being recovered. ‌ Princess Anne attended the inauguration today honouring soldiers who are being buried there many years after they died.

During Princesss Anne's visit, two unknown Scottish soldiers, who were killed in World War One, were buried with full military honours. Credit: PA It seems remarkable that a new burial place is needed for a war that took place between 1914 and 1918. ‌ But construction work on a canal will cut across a WW1 battlefield and it’s expected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that the remains of many soldiers will be found. Building work for a new hospital has also uncovered lost soldiers.‌ The cemetery extension in Loos, in the Pas de Calais, will be their final resting place.

Unknown Scots soldiers given military burial in France

True cost of the royals? A report from the anti-monarchy group Republic this week asked how much the royals really cost UK taxpayers. ‌ The annual state funding, in the form of the Sovereign Grant, is currently £86.3m.  ‌ But Republic says that doesn’t include many hidden costs, and estimates the monarchy actually costs the taxpayer £510m per year.

Republic says a head of state should have running costs of £5m-10m a year. Credit: Getty Images The biggest extra cost is security, which isn’t included in the Sovereign Grant.  ‌ There isn’t any official figure published for this, with Republic estimating security costs at £150m annually. ‌ With royal funding there’s always an element of smoke and mirrors – what do you include?  ‌ And what consideration is there for the economic benefits they bring to the UK, such as tourism?  ‌ The latest opinion poll says 55% of the public believe the royals are good value for money, while 30% disagree. ‌ It’s naturally going to be a talking point when public finances are tight.

Royals really cost £510m, anti-monarchists say

Your Royal Watch Last week, we asked whether you thought Prince William’s birthday greetings to his brother Harry were a sign of their relationship improving.  ‌ “It is in all of their best interests to smooth things out, step by step,” says Geri in Florida, in the US. ‌ Lesley in Spain remains unconvinced: “One short message doesn’t make a conversation.” ‌ “Not to have wished Harry a happy birthday would have been a PR nightmare… so they had to send a basic greeting,” says Jenny in New Zealand. ‌ It’s interesting that some of you feel connections between these royal stories and your own lives – including family fall-outs. “It is my hope the brothers will reconcile their differences,” says Mel, in the US, who has her own experience of “painful” family divisions. ‌ For this week, do you think the royals provide good value for money for the UK? And are they transparent enough about the royal finances? ‌ Please remember to include your name and what country you’re writing from. Send us your thoughts on royalwatch@bbc.co.uk .

A piece of royal history Following Princess Anne’s visit to northern France, let’s look back at her first solo foreign tour - the Blue Peter Royal Safari in 1971. ‌ It was broadcast in a special TV programme on Easter Sunday, with Blue Peter Presenter Valerie Singleton accompanying the 20-year-old princess to Kenya, which she was visiting as president of the Save the Children Fund.