I don't know. It was just a side note on my side and to be frank, I don't care to much, since I am not British and when the British think they can afford it ....
They have no real political influence and, to be honest, I'd far rather have the current crowd than an overtly political head of state - the fact that they choose to serve in the Armed Forces earns them a lot of credit in my book.
Germany has about ~50% more GDP than the UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nom...
4 Germany 3,859,547
5 United Kingdom 3,056,499
Besides, tens of millions aren't really a huge amount at a national level. Roughly £1 per working-person.
I'll happily testify that Her Maj. has provided at least 1GBP of entertainment value each year of my life so far -- so it's still a net gain in my eyes ;)