privy purse

noun

: an allowance for the private expenses of the British sovereign

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands of members of the military from across Queen Elizabeth II's realm and people in her household with ancient roles like keeper of the privy purse and master of the horse escorted her coffin past Buckingham Palace and up Constitution Hill. —WSJ, 19 Sep. 2022

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. —Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022

That wealth used to belong to the Crown—the institution, not the ruler—but Vajiralongkorn took control of the privy purse in 2018. —Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2020

And up until 1971, the former royal families were paid a privy purse -- compensation from the central government for their loss of status. —Esha Mitra And Julia Hollingsworth, CNN, 7 Aug. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above