Full cost of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral revealed by the Treasury

The state funeral and lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II cost the government an estimated £161.7 million, the Treasury has said.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the route of the funeral procession in London and Windsor on September 19, 2022.

More than 50 UK channels broadcast the funeral service, which was watched by more than 28 million people.

The largest cost was reported by the Home Office at £73.7 million, followed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (£57.4 million) and the Scottish government (£18.8 million).

Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin makes its final journey down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle for the Committal Service at St George's Chapel. pic.twitter.com/vqczfMENlM
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 19, 2022

Other costs were:

Ministry of Defence – £2.9 million
Department for Transport – £2.6 million
Welsh government – £2.2 million
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – £2.1 million
Northern Ireland Office – £2.1 million

Chief secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, said: “The death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 and the period of national mourning that followed was a moment of huge national significance.

“During this period, many hundreds of thousands of people came in person to pay their respects, at the Lying at Rest in Edinburgh, the Lying-in-State in Westminster, as well as in London and Windsor for the State Funeral on 19 September.

“Many more people also came out to support His Majesty The King and other members of the royal family as they travelled around the UK during this time.

“The government’s priorities were that these events ran smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public.”

A No 10 spokesman added: “Of course, a major international event of this scale, we wanted to ensure that we could enable people to pay their respects.”

A number of world leaders attended the funeral, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and New Zealand’s then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Getty Images

Then-Prime Minister Liz Truss also attended, along with all of the UK’s surviving former prime ministers.

After the funeral, a private interment service with was held in Windsor with senior members of the royal family.

In comparison to the Queen’s funeral costs, arrangements for the Queen Mother’s burial in 2002 cost more than £5.4 million – around £9.3 million in today’s money.

Meanwhile, Princess Diana funeral is estimated to have cost between £3 million and £5 million in 1997 – between £5.5 million and in £9.2 million in 2023.

The recent coronation of King Charles III is also estimated to have cost the government around £150 million, due to strict security measures in place in the run up to and during the event.

However, experts predicted the coronation would bring in more than £1 billion for the UK economy.

In contrast, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 cost £1.57 million — £46 million in today’s money.

Source: Annabel Bayley

Via: upday.com