AS the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall prepare to visit Gwent CHRIS SEAL looks at the cost of the Royal Family and the public's opinion of them

THIS week the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will be visiting Gwent as part of their annual summer trip to Wales.

They will be visiting a wide range of businesses, as well as popping into towns and villages, as they look to celebrate Welsh enterprise and community.

It cannot be denied that wherever they go it will have an impact on the local area, be it bringing visitors to boost the trade of small businesses, or leaving lasting impressions on residents both young and old.

But wherever they go there will be a small but discernible crowd questioning the cost of the Royal Family and whether they are worth it.

They question whether Britain still needs a Royal Family and whether it can afford to sustain one.

According to Buckingham Palace, sustaining the Royal Family costs Britons 53 pence per person, per year.

The total came to about £33.3 million for 2012-2013, according to the Palace, up from £32.4 million the previous year.

One may think that is a lot of money to pay in austere times when most people are tightening their belts.

But all that money covers not only the Queen’s work as Head of State, including travel arrangements and other official duties, but also the maintenance of Royal residencies and the salaries for employees of the Royal Household who support and administrate the work of the Queen.

It’s not surprising that after a while it all mounts up, leading to many people questioning the value of the Royal Family.

An opinion poll from YouGov in February found that most British people say that apart from the core Royal Family of the Queen, Charles and his descendants, the rest should no longer receive money from the taxpayer and royal estates.

Although this sort of poll casts a negative outlook on the royal family, they have recently enjoyed an upturn in public opinion.

With the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the birth of their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations still fresh in the memory, they’ve enjoyed a hugely successful few years.

Shortly after Prince George was born in July 2013 a poll found that three-quarters of people believe the newborn prince – the third in line to the throne – will one day become king.

Just nine per cent said they thought Britain will have become a republic by then.

The opinion poll, a ComRes survey, is in stark contrast to one carried out in 2011 when 25 per cent of Britons said they expected a republic to emerge within 50 years.

With support continuing to grow for the Royal Family, as shown by the huge interest in Princess Charlotte’s christening over the weekend, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will be looking forward to their annual trip to Wales this week.

During their time in Gwent on Thursday, they will visit a listed garden, open a new winery at a vineyard and meet world-renowned husband and wife fashion designers Charles and Patricia Lester at their Abergavenny studio.

Mr Lester, who along with his wife has been creating hand-made dresses, accessories, tapestries and other items for 50 years, said the visit would have a dramatic impact on his business and the people they employ.

“It is also a fantastic advert for Wales as this will be reported around the world,” he said.

Mrs Lester said that it would not only boost interest in their business, but also provide benefits to the wider area too.

“Because of the Royal visit a number of people who otherwise would not have known anything about us are now wondering why they did not know of our work and are keen to either attend on the day or shortly afterwards,” she said.

“If we get international publicity through the press and social media – the latter already reaching people worldwide – the knock-on effect is that people will be attracted to the idea of visiting Abergavenny.

“They will Google it and find that it has amazing festivities in the area such as The Food Festival, Hay Literary Festival, Brecon Jazz, the canal, riding, walking etc, etc.”

Mr Lester added that it wasn’t just Royal visits that affected businesses and differing industries, but almost all aspects of the Royal Family’s life, including the clothes they wear.

He said that the brands they wear can have a massive impact on the fashion industry, as seen by the huge success of Princess Diana’s wedding dress.

“That dress received publicity from around the world and it lasted for years,” he said. “In fact, it was one of the most famous wedding dresses ever. The buyers and the public flocked to London to buy British fashion and it was not just the Emanuels who benefited, we all did.

“Fashion Week was crowded for many years because of this and because of the enormous press coverage right across the world.

“Princess Diana created great interest in British fashion.

“Her wearing that dress and the work of other British designers must have brought £100s of millions of business into the UK which we would not have otherwise had. I know it had a major effect on our business.”

He added: “Now we have the Duchess of Cambridge, who is receiving constant press and publicity for what she wears, and she wears British.

“She is a beautiful and very glamorous woman and women around the world will copy her style, what she wears and ask for that look when they go shopping.

“Do remember that this is just this industry, the Royal Family have similar effects on numerous other industries so the income generated each year is incalculable and must run into billions.”

Mrs Lester added that she believed the cost of the Royal Family was justified thanks to the income it brings to other sectors, and that it is often forgotten that a lot of money is also raised for good causes.

“My thinking on this is that it generates income and attention way beyond the cost.

“And do not forget – it provides employment for a vast number of people – it is not money thrown into a bottomless pit as is sometimes implied.

“It is carefully organised to have the maximum benefit for the organisations concerned as well as the wider issues of the region, culture etc.

“The work that they undertake to support charities is phenomenal, as well as the various organisations that they have personally set up to create platforms for improving life/expectations for people of many backgrounds and ages such as The Prince’s Trust etc, etc.”

She added that the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had also been “absolutely brilliant” for the tourism industry as it had shown British traditions and culture to the wider world.

“ It was just a perfect occasion and a lovely positive story in the middle of so much gloom,” she said. “The Duchess of Cambridge does a fantastic job promoting British fashion – at the high street level. She is a young, pretty, ordinary girl who has taken on the role in an exemplary fashion.”

Overall it’s clear to see that despite the costs of the royal family they still enjoy huge support from the general public; thanks in large part to a new generation of royalty standing in line to the throne and a surge in national pride.

This week’s visit of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to Wales is almost guaranteed to put wherever they go on the map, not only boosting those respective businesses but also their wider industries as a whole. And as crowds gather to catch a glimpse of royalty visiting towns and villages across Wales their visit will also boost tourism and provide lasting memories for all concerned.