Prince Charles' outrageous $36,000 train trip revealed in royal financial report

Public transport can be pricey, but paying $36,000 for a single train trip is absolutely unheard of.

That's exactly how much one trip on the Royal Train cost British taxpayers last year, Prince Charles racking up the absurd bill on a journey from his Gloucestershire home to Carlisle for royal visits.

The details of Charles' pricey train trip was revealed today as the British royal family released their annual financial statement for the Sovereign Grant.

The Grant funds official costs for the royals, including engagements and place upkeep, with taxpayer money going directly to many royal expenses.

International tours and pricey travel made up major portions of the 2019-2020 report, which showed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's final royal tour cost almost £246,000 ($AUD444,000).

But one of the most outrageous single costs was for Charles' trip on the Royal Train, which undertook just three journeys last financial year.

As it can only be used by the Queen and Charles, the train doesn't get a lot of mileage, but when it does it racks up an incredible bill.

The locomotive is fitted out with sleeping, dining and lounge carriages and has to be staffed when a royal is aboard.

He travelled on the train twice in the 2019-2020 year, once from his Gloucestershire home to Carlisle at a cost of £20,822, and once to visit Wales at a cost of £19,737.

That's around $36,000 and $35,000 AUD respectively for two train trips.

The Queen also travelled on the Royal Train once last year, and her bill wasn't any better.

Her single trip from London to Edinburgh to spend a week at the Palace of Holyroodhouse cost a whopping £22,696, around $41,000 AUD.

Travel costs made up some of the largest expenses on the royal financial report this year, with Charles also racking up bills on air travel for royal duties and tours.

Charter flights to locations across Europe and beyond cost up to £80,000 ($144,000 AUD) in some cases, with the price for royal tours into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

His two tours last financial year cost almost $600,000 AUD all up, a staggering amount even for the heir apparent.

Charles' visit to Oman in January cost £210,000 ($379,000), while an earlier trip to Japan for Emperor Naruhito's ascension in October 2019 cost £113,000 ($204,000).

However, this level of spending isn't unusual for the royal family, and Charles is known to have higher expenses due to his role as the Queen's heir.

In the 2019-2020 period, the Sovereign Grant amounted to £82.4 million (almost $AUD150 million), up slightly on the previous year.

This amount comprises a core grant of £49.4 million ($89 million), amounting to 74p ($1.34) per person in the UK.

A further £33 million ($60 million) is dedicated to the reservicing of Buckingham Palace over a 10-year period, in which building services like electrical wiring will be overhauled.

However, the coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact the Grant for 2020-2021 and in years to come.

In a statement, royal accountant Sir Michael Stevens said the royal household had "no intention of asking for extra funding" to deal with its coronavirus-related financial challenges.

"[The household] will look to manage the impact through our own efforts and efficiencies," he added.