In the UK, since 1760, a payment made from public funds for the maintenance of the senior members of the royal family (except the Prince of Wales, who derives his income from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall). It covers the salaries of the household staff, travel, entertaining, and public engagements at home and abroad. A sum payable from the Treasury is fixed by Act of Parliament at the beginning of each reign; in exchange, the new sovereign surrenders to the Exchequer the revenues from the Crown Estates. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952 ), the original sum has had to be reviewed upwards several times because of inflation. For 19912000 the annual sum was fixed at £10 420 000, of which £7 900 000 was intended for the Queen; for the decade to 2011, the annual sum is fixed at £8.9 million. In 1992 it was decided that only the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh would receive payments from the civil list. In that year the income from the Crown Estates was £113 693 000. The Queen has paid tax since 1993.
A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom the Civil List is the sum that covers most expenses associated with the Sovereign's performing of his or her state duties, including those for staffing, state visits, public engagements, official entertainment, and upkeep of the Royal Households.
Formerly, the monarch met all official expenses from hereditary revenues, including the profits of the Crown Estate and the Royal Mail. It was created in 1660, but in 1760 the new King, George III agreed to surrender the hereditary revenues of the Crown in return for the Civil List, funded by taxation.
This Civil List was originally intended to meet all of the expenses of civil government, including the Civil Service and pensions paid by the State, as well as the expenses of the Royal Household.
On the accession of William IV in 1830, Parliament removed all civil government expenses from the Civil List.
In modern times, the profits surrendered from the Crown Estate have by far exceeded the Civil List and Grants-in-Aid provided to the monarch. These funds include the Civil List, Annuities, Grants in Aid, and funding paid directly by government departments.
In 2000, a £35.3 million reserve was carried over from the 1990-2000 Civil List.
For the period of 2000 - 2010, the Civil List has continued to be fixed at £7,900,000 (GBP) annually, the same as was established in 1990.
Only the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh receive funding from the Civil List.
Canada
In Canada the civil list was a common term during the pre-confederation period when it caused much controversy.
The term civil list is no longer commonly used to describe the payment of civil servants in Canada.
New Zealand
Civil List is the term used to describe the funds provided for the Governor-General.
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