privy purse
Americannoun
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a sum from the public revenues allotted to the sovereign for personal expenses.
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a member of the royal household in charge of paying these expenses.
noun
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(in Britain) an allowance voted by Parliament for the private expenses of the monarch: part of the civil list
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(in other countries) a similar sum of money for the monarch
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Full name: Keeper of the Privy Purse. an official of the royal household responsible for dealing with the monarch's private expenses
Etymology
Origin of privy purse
First recorded in 1655–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They do not pay any rent for this central London accommodation, instead it is paid by the "privy purse", which is the monarch's personal money, to the Royal Household.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The Royal Trustees overseeing the grant are the prime minister, chancellor and the keeper of the privy purse, who looks after the monarch's finances.
From BBC • May 10, 2025
Behind them, members of the queen’s household, including her private secretary and keeper of the privy purse, walked in a final gesture of service.
From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022
The Emperor supported an immense number of them out of the privy purse and even allowed the women to retain the title of princess, although they were technically supposed to abandon it on marriage.
From Time Magazine Archive
During the latter years of his life he was in receipt of a pension of �50 from the privy purse.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
