UK Government announces total costs for Queen Elizabeth II funeral events

A pretty penny. The UK government has released the total cost of conducting Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.

The country’s finance ministry announced in a statement on Thursday, May 18, that they have spent an estimated £161.7 million on the occasion, amounting to approximately $204 million.

“The government’s priorities were for these events to run smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while ensuring the safety and security of the public at all times,” John Glensaid the Chief Secretary of the Treasury in a written statement to parliament, per Reuters.

The Home Office, which is responsible for policing and national security matters, had covered most of the funeral costs, paying £73.7 million.

Buckingham Palace announced in September 2022 that Her Majesty died at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne. After Elizabeth’s death, the country observed a 12-day mourning period before her official memorial service. The Queen’s coffin was laid in state in both Scotland and England so that the residents could pay their respects. When the coffin arrived at London’s Westminster Hall, individuals – inclusive David Beckham — waited in line for more than 12 hours to offer their condolences.

The children of the late queen – King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew And prince Edward — and her eight grandchildren held respective vigils on the side of her casket. The occasion, held on two separate days, was the only time the Duke of York, 63, and Prince Harry could wear their ceremonial military uniforms after their respective departures as senior working royals. (The Duke of Sussex, 38, stepped back next to his wife Megan Markle in 2020 before moving to California, while Andrew resigned a year earlier after being accused of sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations and settled out of court in February 2022.)

The Royal Family – including Harry and the To take alum, 41, amid their estrangement – later reunited for Elizabeth’s state funeral on September 19, 2022. Following a procession and a service at Westminster Abbey, the Queen was buried in a funeral service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

As the royals continued to mourn and honor Elizabeth’s legacy, her son Charles, 74, immediately took over the British throne. The king’s coronation took place eight months later in May.

As my grandmother said when she was crowned, ‘Coronations are a statement of our hopes for the future.’ And I know she’s up there lovingly watching us. She would be a proud mother prince william said the late Queen and his father during the festive Coronation Concert earlier this month. “Despite all that partying is beautiful, the core of the pageantry is a simple message. Employ. My father’s first words as he entered Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a promise to keep serving. Because for over 50 years in every corner of the UK, in the Commonwealth and around the world, he has dedicated himself to serving others, both present and future generations, and those whose memory should not be neglected.