privy purse

noun

, British.

1. a sum from the public revenues allotted to the sovereign for personal expenses.
2. a member of the royal household in charge of paying these expenses.

privy purse

noun

1. 1. (in Britain) an allowance voted by Parliament for the private expenses of the monarch: part of the civil list
   2. (in other countries) a similar sum of money for the monarch
2. an official of the royal household responsible for dealing with the monarch's private expenses Full nameKeeper of the Privy Purse

Word History and Origins

Origin of privy purse¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

But a spokeswoman for the duchy says that none of the unclaimed money following a death goes to the private income known as the "privy purse".

From BBC

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.

From New York Times

The couple paid privately for “substantially all fixtures and fittings,” said Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, responsible for the Queen’s accounts.

From The Guardian

“She could have married me only if she had been prepared to give up everything — her position, her prestige, her privy purse,” he wrote, The New York Times reported in Townsend’s 1995 obituary.

From Washington Times

The privy purse is a private income for the Queen, which is primarily used to pay for expenses incurred by other members of the Royal Family.

From BBC