National mourning and funeral for Queen Elizabeth in the UK last September cost British taxpayers £161.7 million (€186 million), according to Treasury figures released on Thursday.
Following the Queen’s death at the age of 96 at her Scottish castle of Balmoral on September 8, her coffin was transported to Edinburgh, before being placed on public display in Westminster Hall, the oldest chamber in the British Parliament, for five days. Hundreds of thousands of people marched to pay their respects.
The state funeral was then held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, in front of 2,000 guests including hundreds of foreign dignitaries and leaders, then in Windsor, where the Queen rests alongside her husband Prince Philip.
The biggest bill for the Ministry of the Interior
According to a written statement to Parliament by Chief Treasury Secretary John Glen, the total cost is estimated at £161.743 million. “The priority of the government was that these events unfold smoothly”, “while ensuring the safety of the public”, he stressed.
The most important bill goes to the Ministry of the Interior, with 73.68 million pounds (nearly 85 million euros). Thousands of police had been deployed across the UK during the 10 days of national mourning.
The Ministry of Culture and Media comes next, with 57.42 million pounds sterling (66.2 million euros), ahead of the Scottish government (18.75 million pounds, or 21.6 million euros) .
No official figures have yet been released for King Charles’ coronation which was held on May 6, but anti-monarchy group Republic estimated it would cost at least £100m (€115m). Funding borne in large part by British taxpayers, in the grip of a sharp crisis in the cost of living while inflation exceeds 10%.