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LONDON, July 2 (UPI) -- British Prince Charles' spending increased 3.6 percent in 2011-12, the year his elder son Prince William married Kate Middleton, records show. The Daily Telegraph said Charles spent $32 million in 2011-2012, compared to the $31 million he shelled out the previous year. His income from the Duchy of Cornwall and government grants increased by the same percentage.
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The figures Clarence House released do not itemize the costs of the royal wedding or of the additional expense to the prince of having Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, as an extra member of the royal family, the newspaper said.
Royal aides told the Telegraph Charles shared about $785,000 in wedding costs with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and Kate's family, while security and the participation of the armed forces for the high-profile ceremony were paid for with public funds.
Middleton does her best not to be a drain on her in-law's finances and does not have a dresser, butler or other personal servants among the nine staff who work for her, her husband and his brother Prince Harry. Charles pays for all outfits the Duchess of Cambridge wears on official engagements.
"The cost having an extra member of the family is not that much. Most of the travel the duchess has done has been with her husband, who would have been traveling anyway, so there's no extra cost there, and they share administrative staff," a royal insider told the newspaper. "When they host a reception at Clarence House, they will use the Prince of Wales' chefs and other staff."
