The Government has rightly rejected a Royal request for more money.

Earlier in the month, the Monarchy as an institution demanded an increase in their governmental grant although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport under Andy Burnham, has rejected the proposal.

In a time of significant economic downturn, banks collapsing and general financial turbulence, the Monarchy is as costly as it is useless.

Despite the monarchists’ only argument that “the Queen brings in tourism”, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport gives the palace an annual grant of £15m a year, and ministers say that budgets are already stretched. Any income the palace makes does little to close the gaping financial black hole in the Royal Accounts.

The Civil List, an additional sum provided by Parliament to pay for the monarch’s public functions, was agreed in 1990 at £7.9m and Tony Blair’s government refused to sanction an increase ten years later.

Nevertheless, this year shows that expenditure will reach £14.4m – a £6.5m budget deficit.

Though this Civil List is awarded for entertaining at state functions, about 70% of the money is spent on salaries for her staff.

For example, Sir Alan Reid, ironically known as the “Keeper of the Privy Purse”, took a salary of £187,000 last year, a great deal more than the Prime Minister.

For all the furore over MPs’ Expenses, Graham Smith, the spokesman for Republic UK, the campaign for an elected Head of State explained that, “Per head, the royals are already 17 times more expensive than MPs, and The British monarchy is tens of millions of pounds more expensive than comparable elected heads of state in Europe.”

According to official estimates, the Royal Family costs the public £37.4 million each year, or £1.18 for each taxpayer. Other estimates place this figure at £150 million per year to factor in security costs, grants, unpaid tax and the local cost of a royal visit – £4.74 for each taxpayer each year.

The Government will hopefully continue down the path of standing up to royal demands, and spend the £150m on the equivalent 8000 new nurses, 7000 new police officers or 15 new schools.

Not only is there a financial and economic argument, combined with the constitutional and democratic implications, there is a very strong case for the abolition of the monarchy.

If nothing else, it seems absurd to give one family £150m a year, without them so much as filling in a lottery ticket.