Felipe VI began his reign with a period of informative transparency regarding the Royal House. Since 2015, gifts and accounts have been made public. However, the scope of Zarzuela only involved the 8 million assigned by the State through the Budgets. This account was, however, incomplete, sparking a debate about the real cost of the Crown. Because the functioning of the head of state i ncurs costs in other areas. The Ministry of the Interior, for example, for security; or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for trips and the Ministry of Defence for plane travel.
For the first time, the Network of Studies for Contemporary Monarchies (REMCO) has presented a report on the real cost of monarchies compared to republics. The study compares seven European countries: the monarchies of Spain, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway, and the republics of Italy, Germany, and Portugal, although the latter two do not have all the data. The analysis is exclusively focused on costs and primarily references the 2021 fiscal year.
In absolute terms, the total cost of the Head of State in Spain amounts to 105 million euros. This places it below Italy (187 million) and the United Kingdom (166 million), but above Denmark (62 million) and Norway (59 million). Germany (39 million) and Portugal (17 million) present the lowest amounts, although the report itself warns that they could be underestimated due to incomplete data on indirect costs assumed by other ministries.
Looking at the cost per inhabitant, Spain stands out for its moderation. The Spanish Head of State amounts to 2.21 euros per citizen, well below Norway (10.91 euros) and Denmark (10.64 euros), and also lower than Italy (3.17 euros) and the United Kingdom (2.48 euros). Only Portugal (1.64 euros) and Germany (0.46 euros) record lower figures, with the caveat of possible underestimations.
The relative analysis reinforces this position. For every 1,000 euros of GDP per capita, the Spanish cost is 0.07 cents; in terms of GDP in purchasing power parity, 0.04 cents. In both indicators, Spain is below or in line with the average, and behind Denmark (0.14 and 0.13 euros respectively) and Norway (0.09 and 0.08). In relation to public spending, the Spanish Head of State represents 0.17 euros for every 1,000 euros of the national budget, a figure similar to Italy (0.18) and clearly lower than Denmark (0.37) and Norway (0.30).
The report also breaks down the nature of the expenditure. In the Spanish case, the main chapters correspond to personnel costs (80 million), goods and services (21 million), security and representation (55 million within the functional breakdown), and maintenance of residences and facilities (31 million). The budget allocated directly to the Royal Household is the lowest among the monarchies analyzed.
On average, monarchies have a slightly higher cost (98 million) than republics (81 million), although internal differences are greater than those between models. The conclusion is clear: the budgetary weight of the Head of State is small in all cases, and in the comparative scenario, Spain appears as one of the most restrained options in relative terms.