Shock, horror – A Bill of $19,000 for Royal Visit

A bill of just under $19,000 was racked up during the recent stay of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in Wagga Wagga during their recent official visit to Australia last April to open the Commonwealth Games.

The Royal couple spent four days on a private property near Wagga Wagga resting after their flight and preparing for the very onerous schedule ahead of them. Their support group was housed in Wagga Wagga.

However, when itemised it seems that the bill, actually of $18,916, was for the support group of 13 people, Australians and British, and included hotel accommodation over the four days equating to $363.77 a day, certainly under $500 a day.

But wait, there’s more. This amount apparently includes a dry-cleaning bill of $31.90 and a dinner where 5 beers and 2 bottles of wine were consumed, all costing $94! The whole thing is too ridiculous for words and the normally conservative Australian newspaper has succumbed to sensation by expending valuable space on a front-page article on this gossip.

There was a time when Australians were generous hosts and looked after their guests. No more, it seems, according to the Australian media.

One wonders, how much the media racked up covering the Commonwealth Games itself? I am sure that most reporters didn’t sleep in tents eating sandwiches brought from home, nor would most have gathered in a bar at night drinking water.

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