Spain's king and his family are to take a pay cut as part of the latest round of austerity measures meted out by the country's government.
The royal family's popularity has waned in recent months after a series of scandals, as ordinary Spaniards endure high unemployment and belt-tightening measures.
Measures include a 65billion euro package of cuts and tax hikes announced by the government last week.
Unpopular: King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain are being asked to make cutbacks by their country's government
King Juan Carlos will take around 20,900 euros less from his state payout this year, according to an updated version on Tuesday of the 2012 royal budget and sources at the royal household.
His son and heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, will take about 10,500 euros less.
That amounts to a 7.1 per cent pay cut, roughly equivalent to one of the most bitterly-disputed cuts included in the recent austerity package: the axing of Christmas bonuses for public workers, which amounts to about 7 per cent of their income.
Other family members like Queen Sofia and Princess Leticia, Felipe's wife, will also receive less money from the budget, which is entirely made of taxpayers' money.
The royal household estimates its move will help cut between 90,000 euros and 100,000 euros (between $109,900 and $122,100) off its budget for the year, which was already down on 2011 levels.
The government's steep spending cuts are aimed at averting an international bailout amid a deep economic downturn.
Riot police and protestors face-off during a demonstration by Spanish coal miners against austerity cuts
They have sparked daily protests by public-sectors workers throughout Madrid in the past week, with staff staging walkouts from various ministries and at the prime minister's office.
The king, who has long been revered in Spain for his role in the nation's transition to democracy, angered many by going on a lavish elephant hunting trip in Botswana at a time when one in four Spaniards is out of work.
The salary cut got a mixed reception from the public, with some readers of newspaper websites and Twitter users joking on whether the royal family would now struggle to make ends meet, or whether they would still be able to afford safari trips.
Others, however, commended the royal household for at least volunteering to take the cut.
The king's son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin is also embroiled in a court case over allegations he abused his position to embezzle money through a sports charity. He denies the allegations.
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