Queen Elizabeth II's regal funeral cost a whopping $200M
Britain’s government shelled out an estimated $200 million for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state and funeral in September, the treasury revealed Thursday.
“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,” John Glen, chief secretary to the treasury, said in a statement.
Prior reports estimated the security alone cost $7.5 million.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch, died Sept. 8 at the age of 96.
Her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall drew thousands of mourners, some enduring a 30-hour wait.
The extravagant ceremony and services drew tens of thousands of mourners. James Veysey/Shutterstock
Mourners lined the streets to bid farewell to the monarch. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Her funeral — which took place Sept. 19, after 10 days of mourning — honored her historic 70-year reign.
Tens of thousands of people crowded the streets to catch a glimpse of the procession before the funeral service.
The queen was laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Her service, which was honored with a bank holiday, was the first state funeral in the nation since former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s in 1965.
The queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, received a more subdued ceremony in 2021, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. He died at the age of 99, choosing not to lie in state.
The queen’s coronation in 1953 is said to cost less than the estimated cost of King Charles III’s coronation, comparing today’s dollars. Getty Images
The funeral service inside Westminster Hall drew notable figures, politicians and members of the royal family. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Queen Mother’s 2002 funeral was estimated to cost more than $6 million at the time.
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, her son, King Charles III, ascended the throne. On May 6, he was formally crowned in a “scaled back” ceremony estimated to cost up to $125 million.
By comparison, the queen’s coronation in 1953 would have billed more than $60 million today.
Source: New York Post
