BRITISH MONARCHY IS VALUE AT £58.4 BILLION?!

The value of the British monarchy stands at £58.4billion according to a report which claims the Queen and her family added a further £1billion to the economy in the last year alone.

The report, which was released yesterday to mark the Queen's 90th birthday, estimated the figure by adding £21billion of tangible assets like the Royal Collection treasure trove, private estates and the Crown Estate to £37.4 billion of 'intangible assets' - the monarchy's long term contribution to the economy.

Consultancy Brand Finance, which published the report, claimed the royal family contributed more than £1 billion to the British economy in the last year, adding value to areas such as tourism and business.

'It's like a giant PR campaign for the UK,' Brand Finance Chief Executive David Haigh told Reuters.

Brand Finance calculated the contributions by netting off security, palace maintenance and the Sovereign Grant -- the queen's public income - against income sources including 'uplift to tourism, the price premium commanded by brands with royal warrants and the surplus generated by the Crown Estate'.

Estimates of the British monarchy's wealth are complicated as some assets are privately owned and others like the Crown Estate are owned by the queen on behalf of the nation.

Anti-royalists have provided their own figures and dispute claims the royal family boosts tourism.

Last year, campaign group Republic published a report saying 'each working royal' costs the taxpayer an average of £18.5 million, making them the most expensive public officials in the country'.

According to share what you think; the readers tend to controvert or disagree, etc.

For example:

A MacFarlane, “another dysfunctional family who do not know how much is enough..the sooner they are awa the better.”

Howard D, ”Republicans still relying on their straw man arguments, I see. "People don't come to see the Queen". No-one said they did... but some come to see the country with the world's most famous living monarchy and the history that goes with it. "Tourism wouldn't dry up if the monarchy was abolished." No-one said it would... but the loss of continual global exposure they attract for Britain might well cause a long-term reduction. "France gets plenty of tourists without a monarchy." No-one said it didn't. So does Ayres Rock, and that's just a pile of sandstone.”

The Moral Manager, “Straw man argument"? Give us one rational reason why the self-interests of these feudal throwbacks should outweigh our right to democracy and equality? Every child should be borne equal.”

John Burns, “ha did you understand the story? Perhaps you need to switch to reading the Sun or Dandy?”

Well, something to follow? Perhaps!