King Charles has become the first monarch in modern times to disclose how much tax he pays on his private income: £24.6m over the last two years. The revelation, made public in a new audio and video feature produced by the Guardian, marks a departure from centuries of royal financial secrecy.
The move comes after years of sustained calls for the monarch to be more open with the public about royal finances. Some observers are heralding this as a new era of transparency – but questions remain over just how open the disclosure actually is.
“King Charles discloses £24.6m tax on private income over two years, a historic first for monarchy.”
In the feature, presented by Lucy Hough and featuring European financial affairs editor Juliette Garside, the figures are laid out alongside the broader context of the king’s wealth. The £24.6m figure covers two years of tax on Charles’s private income, which includes revenues from the Duchy of Lancaster and other personal holdings.
While the disclosure is unprecedented, critics note that the royal family still keeps many details of its finances private. The debate now shifts to whether this single data point represents genuine transparency or a carefully managed glimpse into the monarch’s wealth.
The feature was produced by Aisha Riaz and Jacob Antigha, with senior producer Ryan Ramgobin and executive producer Zoe Hitch. It was first published on Friday 26 June 2026, and has already sparked discussion about what further financial information might be revealed in future.