When many families are genuinely struggling because of falling incomes, inflation and more insecure working conditions, it is good to see the future Monarch getting a 11% increase in funding from tax payers.
It is a genuine concern about the level of spending by the prince of wales family amid austerity for many members of the public during the recession.
The modern mantra of "we're all in this together" seems not to apply to the Prince Charles and his family.
A breakdown of staff numbers showed that Clarence House and Prince Charles's country home in Gloucestershire, Highgrove, employed the equivalent of 135 staff.
His accounts disclose a slight increase in staff who work for the prince and his family. They include two valets, a butler, an equerry (Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family), a master of the household, three chauffeurs, 10 house managers and housekeepers, five chefs and kitchen porters and 19 gardeners and estate workers, eight press officers .
It is good to see the future monarch being a good employer, pay for most staff had been frozen last year and, the Prince of Wales' tax bill rose marginally from £ 4.39m to £4.49m.
His accounts also showed an increase of 3% in the income that the Prince of Wales receives from the Duchy of Cornwall (this crown lands given to him for being the son of the queen), the estate given to the heir to the throne to provide him with a living, to £18.3m.
Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said "Year on year, Charles continues to spend more public money on travel, much of which is for personal trips. When the country is facing sweeping cuts to public spending, Charles Windsor wilfully helps himself to whatever travel funds he wants or feel he needs."
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