CANBERRA, Australia, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Buckingham Palace says it paid for royal gifts Queen Elizabeth handed out during a visit to Australia last year, but that country says it footed the bill.
A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the country's government picked up the tab for more than $15,563 worth of royal gifts given to more than 40 dignitaries by the queen and Prince Philip during the October visit Down Under, The Daily Telegraph of Britain reported.
Not so, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said.
"The royal household pays for gifts given by the queen -- not Australian taxpayers," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
The queen and duke of Edinburgh handed out framed photos of themselves -- one of them to Gillard -- and other royal goodies during their visit, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reported.
The Herald-Sun says the Australian government followed its normal protocol.
"Consistent with longstanding practice, the Australian government will meet the costs of gifts presented by the queen during her visit to Australia," the spokesman said.
Australia's government also bore the cost of royal travel, reported to be about $1 million.
Some Australians say the royal costs are a sure sign it's time for Australia to become a republic.
"If people are unhappy about these quite bizarre costs, if we want to stop kowtowing and giving these funnily funded gifts, we want to get to the real issue which is becoming a republic," Australian Republican Movement Chairman Michael Keating told the Herald Sun.
