Buckingham Palace was criticised today for refusing to follow the example of the Prince of Wales by disclosing details of the Queen's personal earnings and tax liabilities.

The Palace today published accounts for the Royal Household which show a 4.2 per cent rise in its annual spending over the past year, to £37.4 million.

The amount is equivalent to 62 pence per British citizen, with the increase attributed to extra costs of security, travel and property maintenance

Publication of the Queen's accounts was overshadowed by an emerging rift between the Palace and Clarence House, which earlier this week boasted of making details of both Prince Charles's £14 million income and his £3.3 million income tax bill available for public scrutiny.

It said that the information should be published to introduce greater transparency into the murky world of the Royal finances.

The prospect of the Queen's household making such a disclosure, however, was given short shrift by Buckingham Palace, where officials said that they had no plans to release details of the monarch's contribution to the Exchequer.

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."

Republican groups claim that the monarchy is hiding behind a shroud of secrecy. A small number of campaigners, including agony aunt Claire Rayner and activist Peter Tatchell, gathered outside the Palace to register their anger this morning.

Mr Tatchell said that the Queen had a duty to make public information regarding her income and taxation. "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. Until we get full transparency concerning the Queen’s finances, there will always be doubts as to whether her contribution to the exchequer is fair and above board."

At a media briefing to unveil the Royal Family's spending of the last financial year, accountants were at pains to point out that the monarchy remained excellent value for money.

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."

Mr Reid cautioned that he would be requesting a £1 million increase to the £15 million annual granted to the Palace every year to maintain its royal property portfolio.

"If we’re going to maintain historic buildings that we’re responsible for, we will need more money. We will be putting more pressure on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport," he said.

The mausoleum at Windsor was said to be the site most in need of restoration, needing £2 million of refurbishment. Other repairs include renovating a two-acre lead roof at Windsor Castle, tidying up the quadrangle at Buckingham Palace, replacing the roof of the Picture Gallery and removing asbestos from many buildings.

The report revealed that over the next five years it would not be possible to carry out significant projects with a construction cost of £800,000 or more, due to funding constraints. It said that this meant the work on the Victoria and Albert Mausoleum would have to be delayed.

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