As we recover from yesterday’s State of the Union address, it seems like a good time to remember that there’s a great big world outside of the United States. Also, they have problems too, and nothing cures a State of the Union hangover like a nice healthy dose of schadenfreude (look it up: Merriam-Webster).
In a report released earlier this week, members of Parliament called into question the finances of Britain’s royal household.
Queen Elizabeth II is being asked to cut back on her household’s spending after her advisers maxed out the annual budget by $3.8 million last year. If you think that sounds bad, then you probably don’t know that her annual budget is $51 million.
The report even goes so far as to criticize the condition of almost half of Queen Elizabeth II’s very large estate. According to members of Parliament royal palaces are crumbling, and nearly 40 percent of the estate is below par (must be all those wild parties).
Making matters worse, the queen’s reserve fund has reached a historic low of $1.6 million.
Those kinds of figures, and woes really help you maintain some perspective. After all, at the end of the day, at least you don’t have to balance a $51 million budget…although, I’d be happy to help.
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More on the Story: TIME
…just for fun:
