var items = new Array (new ImageMetaData('Britain\'s Queen Elizabeth II, at the Royal Ascot race meeting held at York racecourse, York, England, on June 16, 2005.  British taxpayers paid 61 pence (US$1.12;  0.92) each in the last financial year to support Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday, June 22, 2005,  in an annual summary of its expenses. The palace, which has been under political pressure to control costs in recent years, said the senior royals\' expenses totaled 36.7 million pounds (US$67.1 million; 55.1 million) in the fiscal year that ended March 31, down 0.3 percent from the previous year. Taking inflation into consideration, spending was down 2.3 percent, the palace said.  (AP Photo/John Giles /PA)  **  UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES  **','http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Photos/070216/070216_ascot_vsml_10a.jpg','1:11 p.m. ET, 2/16/07','John Giles / AP','AP',17187726));