King Charles Doesn't Get a Salary, but His Official Funds Reach IDR 2.99 Trillion

JAKARTA - King Charles III does not receive a salary like a head of state in general. However, the funds that support his official duties and life have actually increased sharply. In a People report quoted on Sunday, March 29, the main source of Charles' funds, namely the Sovereign Grant, increased by more than 60 million US dollars in the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 176.6 million US dollars. If converted at a rate of Rp16,957 per US dollar, the value is equivalent to around Rp2.99 trillion.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 quoted by People, Charles's wealth is estimated at 860 million US dollars or around Rp. 14.58 trillion at the same exchange rate. Even so, he does not receive a regular salary. The funding of the British King comes from three sources, namely the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, and his personal portfolio.

The largest funds come from the Crown Estate, a large asset group that includes premium properties in London, retail and hospitality businesses, and more than 191,000 acres of land. The profits from these assets are managed by the British Ministry of Finance, then some of them are channeled to the royal family through the Sovereign Grant. In 2025-2026, the surge in funds was mainly triggered by the sale of Crown Estate's offshore wind farm lease.

Money from the Sovereign Grant is used to finance the royal family's official duties, ranging from maintenance of official residences, staff salaries, to travel and state agendas. Throughout 2025, members of the royal family attended 2,458 official activities.

The second source is the Duchy of Lancaster. Its net income goes into the Privy Purse, which is the King's personal fund. In 2024-2025, its value is more than 38 million US dollars, equivalent to around Rp644.37 billion at the same exchange rate. However, not all of the funds go to Charles because they are also used to maintain Sandringham, Balmoral, and finance other active members of the royal family.

A third source comes from Charles' investments, savings, and personal property, the value of which is not made public. Although he had reduced his work rhythm after being diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, Charles remained the busiest member of the royal family in 2025 with 535 official agendas.