King Charles has unusual response to being confronted by stranger about how much royal family costs the public

King Charles III had an unexpected response when he was quizzed this week by a stranger on how much the royal family costs the public.

Whilst making an appearance in Suffolk earlier this week, the 76-year-old British monarch was heckled by someone on the street.

Joined by wife, Queen Camilla, on 22 July, the King spent the morning in the town of Newmarket, with the couple paying a particular visit to The National Stud, as well as the race courses that border Cambridge.

There, they met with horse racing charity representatives.

Hours earlier, however, on their way to join Ipswich Town CEO and chairman Mark Ashton for a royal engagement, the King and Queen met with a horde of members of the public on the town's High Street.

There, Charles, and Camilla, 78, shook hands with adoring onlookers and answered questions from attendees.

But while making his way down the barriers, one member of the public shouted out: “Why does your family cost us half a billion pounds a year Charles?”

This week, King Charles III was met with a rather direct message from a member of the public (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

However, in a video shared by The Scot, the monarch simply responded: “Ah, yes,” before moving on to the next person.

The person who asked the bold question continued to shout, asking: “Why do you only pay your gardeners minimum wage?”

But, he was out of sight and chatting with someone else by this point, so it’s unlikely he heard the direct money question.

In another clip, a woman shouts out: “Do you think it’s fair we pay you £27million a year from the Duchy of Lancaster?”

But, it wasn’t clear whether The King heard and he simply continued to walk on, without a response.

In the comments of the clip shared on Instagram, social media users have shared their thoughts on the two-word reply.

One user joked: “This response is unintentionally hilarious…” and a second penned: “'Ah yes' omg he admitted it.”

Meanwhile, a third user reasoned: “I’m not a fan of the royal family personally, but let’s be fair and a bit more informed, the UK monarchy actually contributes significantly to the economy, especially through tourism and the global attention it brings.”

The monarch's two word-response has divided opinion (WPA Pool / Getty Images)

And a fourth agreed: “I’m not a royalist by any stretch but even I know the royal family bring in more money to the UK economy than they cost it.”

Another user joked on Twitter: “Hats off to this man who queued patiently so he could ask Charles a few pointed questions to his face!”

“Look at him shuffling along. AVOIDANCE ALERT,” someone else replied.

This comes after the British monarchy's annual finances were revealed in the Sovereign Grant Report.

Under the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the UK Government makes an annual payment to the royal family to fund the King’s official duties, such as travel, royal engagements, and staff.

Between 2024-2025, the sum was £86 million, and according to the latest accounts, it’s rising to £131 million and will remain stable throughout 2026 and 2027.