Documents from the National Archives have stated the monarch’s own private lawyer, Matthew Farrer, lobbied the Government to make a change to an upcoming piece of legislation. Using the parliamentary procedure called the Queen’s consent, it is claimed she stopped the publication of her true wealth after ministers included a clause in the Companies Bill, according to a report from The Guardian.
The Queen’s consent must be sought before legislation is brought before ministers in Parliament when it relates to private interests of the Crown or any aspects that may impact the royal prerogative.
An Express.co.uk poll – which ran from 2pm to 10pm on February 8 – asked: “Should the Queen be forced to disclose all personal funds after secret wealth row?”
Out of 2,044 votes, 57 percent (1,158) said the Queen should not be forced to reveal her personal funds.
Just 42 percent (865) said the Royal Family should while one percent (21) said they don’t know.
One reader said: “No, her personal fortune is her business as my personal life is mine and mine alone.”
Another added: “She is the head of state and it is her business how much wealth she has, just as your wealth is your business.”
A third wrote: “No! The Queen is the Queen.
“Prince Charles will be our next King and he deserves the same honour.”
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The papers revealed the Queen’s own private lawyer Mr Farrer met with civil servants at the then Department of Trade and Industry to discuss the proposed legislation, according to The Guardian.
This procedure enabled the Queen’s private shareholdings to be concealed until 2011 at the latest, according to the report.
Her Majesty’s personal wealth is never revealed, although the Royal Family has provided clarity over how it is funded and how much it costs the UK taxpayer.
In 2012, the previous Civil List and the three Grants-in-Aid were replaced by the Sovereign Grant, which is funded by the percentage profits of the Crown Estate.
This means the Royal Household can be subject to the same audit scrutiny as other Government expenditure.
A spokesperson for the Queen told Express.co.uk: “Queen’s consent is a parliamentary process, with the role of sovereign purely formal.
“Consent is always granted by the monarch where requested by the Government.
“Whether Queen’s consent is required is decided by parliament, independently from the royal household, in matters that would affect crown interests, including personal property and personal interests of the monarch.
“If consent is required, draft legislation is, by convention, put to the sovereign to grant solely on advice of ministers and as a matter of public record.”
