privy purse

American  

noun

British.

1. a sum from the public revenues allotted to the sovereign for personal expenses.

2. a member of the royal household in charge of paying these expenses.

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privy purse British  

noun

1. 1. (in Britain) an allowance voted by Parliament for the private expenses of the monarch: part of the civil list

   2. (in other countries) a similar sum of money for the monarch

2. Full name: Keeper of the Privy Purse.  an official of the royal household responsible for dealing with the monarch's private expenses

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Etymology

Origin of privy purse

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

Princess Michael of Kent, another non-working royal, also has a property in Kensington Palace which is paid for by the privy purse.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

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

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

It was rumored that a cut in King George's privy purse allowance, which has remained at some $550,000 per year since 1910, was being considered.*

From Time Magazine Archive

The confiscations, presents, tributes, and other articles, may be reckoned as his privy purse.

From Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton by Barrow, John, Sir