In an effort to modernise the monarchy and reduce costs, King Charles III has announced that he will decommission the royal family’s private train, long known as the ‘Palace on Wheels’, before its contract expires in March 2027. This decision follows a thorough review of the train’s use and value for money.
As the monarchy’s future is shaped by increasing public scrutiny and demands for modernisation, the royal household is shifting towards more cost-effective, sustainable and relatable modes of travel.
This decision has been made at a time when the projected cost of refurbishing Buckingham Palace is estimated to be £100 million of public funds. The 2024–25 royal accounts, published on Monday, show that the Sovereign Grant will remain at £86.3 million for the fourth consecutive year, but will temporarily rise to £132 million between 2025 and 2027. This increase, funded by record revenues from the Crown Estate’s offshore wind farms (£31.1 billion), should help cover the final instalments of Buckingham Palace’s ten-year refurbishment.
Despite this financial boost, the royal household is under increasing pressure. Royal travel costs have risen from £4.2 million to £4.7 million, a 12% increase, and the royal payroll has gone up by £2 million to £29.9 million.
In service since 1840, the nine-carriage burgundy train has carried generations of royals, from Queen Victoria to the late Queen Elizabeth II. It has also witnessed decades of British history. The late Queen often travelled to Scotland in it – a place she loved dearly. One of its last memorable journeys was in 2018, when Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan Markle travelled together to Cheshire for their first joint engagement.
However, the train’s ‘phenomenally high cost’ – said to be up to £1–1.2 million per year for maintenance, and excluding the substantial upgrade now required for the rolling stock from the 1980s – has long been a cause for concern. In September 2022, following the Queen’s death, The Telegraph was the first to highlight these concerns, noting that King Charles’s two-day trip to North Yorkshire in June 2023 reportedly cost £71,340.
The monarchy expects to save around £1 million per year by retiring the train. Two more fuel-efficient helicopters will replace it for royal travel.
In 1860 Queen Victoria travelled from Scotland to Hampshire by train. This timetable shows the stops on her journey pic.twitter.com/B4Zihevitj
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 9, 2015
Addressing those lamenting the decision and raising safety concerns about helicopters, Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Michael Stevens, said: ‘The Royal Train has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forward, we must not be bound by the past.’
Prince William, who is known for taking the train to his engagements, is said to have supported the move without hesitation.
As the Duchy’s new secretary, Will Bax, put it: ‘We change not because we disrespect our past, but precisely because we respect it.’
Retiring the Royal Train aligns with other monarchy policies promoting fiscal discipline. The saved funds will be allocated towards palace refurbishment, core travel, payroll, vehicle upgrades and sustainability measures.
Retiring the Royal Train is about more than just bidding farewell to tradition: it eliminates a fixed cost of over £1 million, increases flexibility, encourages sustainable travel, supports modernisation and complements tighter oversight of royal expenditure.
