Pippa Middleton and her hedge fund manager husband have reportedly become unpopular with some neighbours after preventing the public from using a footpath that crosses their £15million country estate.
Now, the sister of the Princess of Wales is said to have fallen further out of favour after locals in the West Berkshire village of Kintbury allegedly branded her a “stingy tipper”.
“In country life, it is prudent to rub along reasonably peaceably with the locals. In our corner of West Berkshire, much local gossip focuses on Pippa Middleton and her husband,” Times columnist Max Hastings wrote.
“Other snippets rattle around, alleging stingy tipping, more-royal-than-the-royals behaviour. None of this makes the family entirely beloved. Yet sister Kate gives a daily masterclass in how to do the princess bit with absolute lack of pretension.”
Although Pippa’s alleged reluctance to tip has reportedly drawn criticism locally, some members of the Royal Family have also become known for being careful with money and for reducing unnecessary expenses.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, despite being able to afford almost anything she wanted, was notably frugal. Her cost-conscious habits included using budget fireplace heaters at Buckingham Palace, preventing food waste and reusing Christmas wrapping paper and ribbons.
Her daughter, Princess Anne, is well known for wearing outfits repeatedly, while King Charles and Prince William have previously faced scrutiny over their tax payments and finances.
Here are some of the Royal Family’s most economical habits, including the practical ways members of the Firm have sought to reduce spending.
Pippa Middleton and her hedge fund manager husband have reportedly become unpopular with some neighbours this year. The Princess of Wales’s sister has now been described by nearby residents in Kintbury, West Berkshire, as a “stingy tipper”.
The late Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II was widely regarded as someone who avoided extravagant spending, with the late monarch keen to keep costs under control wherever possible.
Rather than relying on a roaring fire or an elaborate central-heating system, the high-ceilinged Audience Room was reportedly being helped by a small £30 two-bar electric heater when it was spotted in 2020.
It was one of several thrifty details associated with the Queen’s Buckingham Palace residence. Palace insiders previously said she expected savings to be made whenever possible.
According to the Express, bulbs exceeding 40 watts were prohibited, while staff were reminded to switch off lights when they were not needed. Old newspapers were also shredded and used as bedding for horses in the Queen’s stables.
Household items were routinely given a second life: string from parcels was kept for future use, while worn sheets and dusters were repaired and darned rather than immediately replaced.
Queen Elizabeth II was widely known for avoiding extravagant spending, with the late monarch taking steps to reduce costs wherever possible.
“After Christmas, Elizabeth would collect up the wrapping paper and ribbons and would smooth them out to be saved,” author Kate Williams wrote in Young Elizabeth: The Making of Our Queen. “It is a habit that continues to this day.”
Former royal chef Darren McGrady said in 2012 that the Queen had once returned a lemon used as a garnish, explaining that the kitchen could use it again.
In the bathrooms, “hippos” — water-displacement devices placed inside toilet cisterns — were used to reduce the amount of water required for each flush.
At Balmoral, damage to the walls has reportedly been repaired and covered with wallpaper purchased by Queen Victoria more than a century ago.
Royal author Adam Helliker also previously revealed that old bedsheets from the Royal Yacht Britannia were recycled for use at the Queen’s Scottish holiday home.
Princess Anne
The Princess Royal may have an estimated personal fortune of between £15million to £20million, but she consistently showcases her love for thrift over luxury.
The Princess Royal may have an estimated personal fortune of between £15million to £20million, but she consistently showcases her love for thrift over luxury.
Often fondly dubbed the Queen of Recycling, Princess Anne is famous for her timeless wardrobe filled with pieces she gives new life to decades later.
Over the years, she has breathed new life into an impressive collection of coats, dresses, hats and handbags – some of which have been in rotation for decades.
Speaking about her approach to fashion, she once remarked: ‘A good suit goes on forever. If it is properly made and has a classic look, you can wear it ad infinitum. The economy was bred into me.’
In 2012, she was reported to have turned down a gorgeous sea-view room at a picturesque harbourside hotel in Oban, Scotland, to save herself £40.
Anne is also known to run a highly unpretentious household – and once famously joked that a Ryvita cracker is a sufficient starter for guests.
Meanwhile, when Anne tied the knot with Sir Timothy Laurence on December 12, 1992, Anne wore the same jacket and skirt she donned at Royal Ascot months before.
‘After her wedding date was set, the woman who is more at home in jodhpurs, riding boots and tweed jackets, rifled through her wardrobe and resurrected the suit for the low-key wedding ceremony,’ Our News Outlet reported at the time.
The Prince and Princess of Wales
Kate and William have sought to cut back on costs since taking on their roles as the Prince and Princess of Wales. However, William has also received some criticism for his financial choices, particularly his reluctance to share his tax contributions.
Kate and Prince William have sought to cut back on costs since taking on their roles as the Prince and Princess of Wales, opting for a growing number of UK staycations and even using public modes of transport instead of private travel.
In 2018, Kate revealed that their home, and in particular their children’s bedrooms, are kitted out with affordable IKEA furniture.
Meanwhile, in their former Kensington Palace home, the couple were reported to have cushions from OKA, which were previously listed for between £30-£60.
The prince and princess do not have a full-time, live-in royal chef, but instead prefer to cook and prepare dinner themselves at home, with Kate said to be particularly fond of roast chicken, while the family also enjoy Italian food and a vegetable curry.
In a move away from the lavish restaurants typically expected of a royal, the pair are partial to a Sunday roast at the Dabbling Duck in Norfolk, where mains fall at around a £20 price point.
Likewise, the Crown Inn in East Rudham, Norfolk has previously been dubbed the royal couple’s favourite pub – with the pair last spotted enjoying a meal together there back in 2016.
The royal couple have also not shied away from a royal re-wear. In 2015, Prince George made his Buckingham Palace balcony debut for Trooping the Colour in a white-and-blue outfit that directly resembled one previously worn by his father in 1984.
However, William has also received some criticism for his financial choices, particularly his reluctance to share his tax contributions in the past.
In May, William, who had refused to reveal how much tax he paid as heir to the throne – despite his father doing so when he was Prince of Wales – has also caved to the inevitable.
In 2024/25 he paid £7.76 million to the taxman and a further £8.34 million in 2023-24.
It came after a poll by The Mail on Sunday found that 54 per cent of people want Prince William to be more transparent about where his income comes from and how it is spent.
King Charles
King Charles has also been known to be remarkably frugal – with Tom Parker Bowles previously revealing that the King has a zero-waste dining rule, with leftover items saved, repurposed or re-served the following day.
King Charles has also been known to be remarkably frugal – with Tom Parker Bowles previously revealing that the King has a zero-waste dining rule, with leftover items saved, repurposed or re-served the following day.
Charles’ desire to slim down the monarchy has also been viewed by many as a money-saving tactic.
However, increased scrutiny on the King’s finances saw Charles become the first British monarch to voluntarily publish his personal tax bill earlier this year.
Questions around transparency on tax intensified after revelations the Cornwall estate, along with the Duchy of Lancaster, generated millions by charging public bodies, such as the NHS, the armed forces, and schools for use of its land.
Buckingham Palace revealed he paid more than £12.9 million in 2024/25 to HMRC and a further £11.7 million the previous year, putting him among the country’s top 100 taxpayers.
Keeper of the Privy Purse, James Chalmers, said the request to reveal his combined income and capital gains had come personally from the King, who is determined to aid clarity and accessibility around royal finances which are under more scrutiny than ever.
Norman Baker, a former Government minister and expert in royal finances, said: ‘We need to know why the monarch is costing £500million a year, why has he got so many houses and what’s he going to do to slim down the cost of the monarchy.’
King Charles has also faced public scrutiny over staff compensation and reports of low wages and high staff turnover among gardeners at Highgrove House.
At one stage, in March 2022, half of the gardening team were earning minimum wage, an investigation by the Sunday Times found.
