Ranked: The 5 Most Expensive Trips the Royal Family Took as Palace Reveals New Financial Report

The Royal Family just released their yearly financial report up to March 2026, giving us a rare look at how much their travel actually costs. From King Charles and Queen Camilla using the royal treasury for UK engagements to Prince William taking the top spot for the most expensive overseas trip to Saudi Arabia, transparency is the new norm. With big refurbishments underway and travel costs adding up, these newly published documents break down exactly where the taxpayers' money went this past year. Here is the list of the most expensive trips the royal family members took in the last financial year.

William's three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia cost £130,106 ($165,235), making it the most expensive royal trip of the year and the first time he has topped the annual list since his father became King. The total includes travel by charter aircraft as well as two planning trips made by palace staff. During the visit, William represented the UK government and held official meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The King and Queen's four-day state visit to Italy ranked as the second most expensive journey in fiscal year 2025-26, with travel costs reaching £126,946 ($161,220). The official trip included engagements across Italy as well as a visit to Vatican City. It remained just a few thousand pounds behind William's Saudi Arabia tour in the annual financial report.

The Future King appears on the list not once but twice. He ranks third on the list with his two-day visit to Belém, Brazil, with the trio costing £78,542 ($99,750). The Prince of Wales traveled to attend the COP30 climate conference, where environmental issues and global sustainability efforts were at the forefront. Along with appearing twice in the list, William also paid $10.26 million (£7.76 million) in income and capital gains tax in 2024-25.

Charles and Camilla's official visit to Vatican City in October 2025 generated travel costs of £75,371 ($95,720), placing it fourth on the list. During the trip, Charles met Pope Leo XIV in what Buckingham Palace described as a historic moment. The two leaders on the trip were seen praying together as a symbol of unity between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh completed a seven-day official tour of Papua New Guinea and Japan in September 2025 at a travel cost of £70,541 ($89,585). The visit included a series of diplomatic engagements on behalf of the Crown. The trip is ranked as the fifth most expensive royal journey recorded in the royal family's 2025-26 financial report.