The Queen and the Royal Family cost the taxpayer 62p per person per year, Buckingham Palace accounts have revealed.
The total cost of keeping the monarchy in the last financial year rose by 4.2 per cent to £37.4 million, royal accountants said.
The increase was partly due to the cost of extra security vetting at the royal residence in the wake of a national newspaper journalist who managed to get a job as a footman at Buckingham Palace and also several other attempts by the media to gain access.
It was also attributed to freedom of information inquiries and the cost of a number of long-haul overseas visits by members of the Royal Family.
Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: "Given this is a World Cup year, 62p would buy you a ticket for one minute of England's game against Portugal on Saturday."
The cost of the Royal Family per person, now at 62p per year, rose from last year when it was calculated at 61p. The cost of royal travel rose by ten per cent to £5.5 million.
The Prince of Wales revealed earlier this week how much tax he paid last year, but accountants for the Queen said there were no plans to do the same for the monarch.
One spokesman said: "We take a strong view that the Queen's private finances are, like any other individual, private and she is entitled to have her privacy."
Mr Reid said Palace accountants were fully aware they were spending taxpayers' money and wanted to be as open as possible.
"Our key aim is not to try and achieve a low cost monarchy. What we're really after is trying to achieve a high quality and very efficient monarchy.
"We are spending, and we realise it, taxpayers' money. We want to be as transparent as we can."
Three new staff were employed by the Palace over the past year to deal with the impact of the Freedom of Information act, despite the fact the royal household is exempt.
One royal aide said: "Although we are exempt, the Government departments we deal with aren't.
"They're more than happy to dish out information they're not meant to."
The cost of new security measures at the Palace came to about£150,000, the royal accountants said.
The moves were put in place after Daily Mirror reporter Ryan Parry managed to go undercover to get a job as a footman in 2003 in the run up to President Bush's official visit.
"We have taken stringent measures to strengthen security for everyone working here and that includes contractors," one spokesman said.
He said the figure was unlikely to rise and accounted for extra staff and money spent on new computer technology.
A small number of campaigners from the pressure group Republic protested outside the Palace yesterday. They included agony aunt Claire Rayner and activist Peter Tatchell.
Human rights campaigner Mr Tatchell said: "The mysteries of the royal finances are symptomatic of the monarchy's lack of openness and accountability," he said.
"The Queen's personal wealth is shrouded in secrecy. There is little disclosure. We don't know how much she is worth and on how much of her wealth she pays tax.
"The public are not allowed to know whether she is paying tax on all of her wealth. Until we get full transparency concerning the Queen's finances, there will always be doubts as to whether her contribution is fair and above board.
