15 of the most luxurious perks of being a member of the royal family

Buckingham Palace is home to the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as their staff.

The 828,820-square-foot palace in London has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms, as well as works of art, stunning furnishings, and all the comforts a royal could ask for.

However, while living in a palace may seem like a fairytale, it does have its downsides.

Prince William and Kate Middleton live in Kensington Palace in London, close to Buckingham Palace. Their four-story apartment has 20 rooms including three main bedrooms, dressing rooms, nurseries, and rooms for their staff.

Other royals, such as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, also live on the expansive royal property.

Frogmore Cottage, where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry lived full-time before moving to the United States, underwent a $3 million renovation, which the couple recently paid back. Now, Princess Eugenie of York and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, call the royal residence home.

Balmoral Castle in Scotland acts as the Queen's summer home and is said to be one of Her Majesty's "favorite places in the world." As a summer retreat, the whole royal family would often spend time there in a more relaxed setting — and even help out with the cooking occasionally.

According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked at Buckingham Palace from 1982 until 1993, Prince Philip was a "master of the grill" and Princess Diana would help out by doing the dishes.

Given to a young Queen Elizabeth by the people of Wales in the 1930s, the two-story playhouse still sits on the grounds at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Throughout the generations, royal children and grandchildren have played inside "The Little Cottage."

In a 2012 BBC documentary called "Our Diamond Queen," Princess Beatrice took a camera crew inside the playhouse, which had a rethatched roof, new curtains, and the same 1930s-style kitchen and china made especially for the miniature home. The playhouse also has functional lights and plumbing.

Prince Charles and Princess Charlotte both attend Thomas's Battersea, a private day school in London.

Prince William and Prince Harry both received their secondary education at Eton College, a boarding school in Windsor that was founded by Henry VI. According to the school's website, it costs approximately $58,400 per year to attend.

Prince William and Kate Middleton both studied at the prestigious St Andrews University in Scotland, which is where they met and started dating.

All bills are paid by the Sovereign Grant, a grant "provided by Government to the Royal Household in support of the Queen's official duties," according to the royal family's official website. The grant comes from the treasury and is funded by taxpayers, according to the BBC.

The grant also covers the maintenance and upkeep of the royal family's residences, as well as the salaries of employees who work for the royal family.

Though the Queen is not legally required to pay taxes, she makes voluntary payments on income, assets, and gains not used for official purposes, Insider previously reported.

Other parts of the royal family's income, like the Prince of Wales' income from the Duchy of Cornwall, are also exempt from taxes, however, again, he "voluntarily pays income tax on all revenue from the estate," according to his website.

Kate Middleton frequently wears heirloom pieces passed down from Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, which are effectively priceless. The most famous royal jewelry pieces the duchess has worn include Princess Diana's lover's knot tiara and her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

Meghan Markle, prior to her and Prince Harry's exit from the royal family, also frequently wore royal heirlooms while attending official events.

According to a previous article by Insider, security costs for a royal wedding are typically the largest expense of the day. For Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding in 2011, the total cost of the royal wedding came to $34 million and security costs totaled $8.7 million, according to the UK Press Association.

The royal family helps to cover the cost of other expenses, such as the reception and floral arrangements. However, the Queen makes a majority of her money through the Sovereign Grant granted by the treasury and supported by British taxpayers. In 2019, the Sovereign Grant amounted to $104 million, according to the royal website.

According to Insider, the Sovereign Grant also pays for travel expenses for the Queen and other royals, including Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince William. According to the 2020 Sovereign Grant summary, this amounted to $5.3 million between 2019 and 2020.

Even if the Queen were to be pulled over for speeding, she wouldn't have a driver's license to show.

At the age of 18, Queen Elizabeth II trained as a driver and mechanic for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. Since then, the Queen has never been required to take an actual driving test and is also able to drive without a number plate.

Every passport in the United Kingdom is issued with the Queen's name. As a consequence, the Queen doesn't need her own passport to travel.

However, all other members of the royal family, including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, hold their own passports.

While attending official events, the royals are frequently introduced to the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Harry Styles to "The Crown" star Olivia Coleman.

Princess Diana was also close friends with a number of celebrities, including Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are frequent attendees of the British Academy Film Awards as William has been president of BAFTA since 2010.

Meghan Markle also famously attended the 2018 British Fashion Awards. For the occasion, she wore a stunning custom Givenchy one-shouldered gown to present Clare Waight Keller, the former creative director of Givenchy and the designer of Markle's wedding dress, with the British Designer of the Year award.

"Prince Charles does have his valet squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush every morning," Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former butler, said in Amazon Prime's documentary "Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm," Yahoo reported at the time. "If anyone gets anything wrong, everybody is scolded."

Burrell added that Prince Charles had his shoelaces "pressed flat with an iron," his underwear folded, and "the water temperature [for a bath] has to be just tepid."

According to People, the Queen's royal dressmaker Angela Kelly frequently wears the royal's shoes before she does in order for them to be broken in and comfortable.

"As has been reported a lot in the press, a flunky wears in Her Majesty's shoes to ensure that they are comfortable and that she is always good to go. And yes, I am that flunky," Kelly wrote in her 2019 book "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen."

"The Queen has very little time to herself and not time to wear in her own shoes, and as we share the same shoe size it makes the most sense this way," she continued.