(in the UK) a fixed annual allowance voted by Parliament to meet the official expenses incurred by the Queen in her role as head of state. It was replaced by the Sovereign Grant in 2011.
Example sentencesExamples
He voluntarily pays income tax at 40 per cent on his duchy income and, like Princes William and Harry, does not have an allowance from the Civil List.
But of course it's not, because the Civil List money represents only a fraction of the Queen's annual income.
He cemented his position by securing George a Civil List from Parliament of £800,000, considerably more than previous monarchs had received.
To cap it all, in the final run-up, a carefully leaked document revealed that the royal finances were in their best-ever condition and that the taxpayer will not be required to supplement the Queen's Civil List payments.
In return the monarch received a personal income voted by Parliament, the Civil List.