Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Queen Elizabeth II's funeral cost the UK government an estimated 162 million pounds (around USD 200 million), the treasury revealed on Thursday. The state funeral was held on September 19, 2022, following 10 days of national mourning during which hundreds of thousands visited Westminster Abbey where the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch was lying in state.
The state funeral for the late monarch was the first in the UK since that of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965. The funeral was attended by world leaders and dignitaries. The Queen died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle after 70 years on the throne.
Home Office spent £74 million
The costs were published Thursday as part of a written statement to Parliament. The Home Office which paid £74 million spent the most for the event, the treasury noted. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport spent £57 million, it added. The Scottish government spent £18.756 million on the Queen’s lying in rest.
“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,” said John Glen, chief secretary to the treasury, in a statement.
The estimated costs include:
- Home Office - £73.68m
- Department for Culture, Media & Sport - £57.42m
- Scottish Government - £18.756m
- Department for Transport - £2.565m
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - £2.096m
- Ministry of Defence - £2.890m
- Northern Ireland Office - £2.134m
- Welsh Government - £2.202m
- Total - £161.743m
Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were both interred at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Philip, who died in 2021 at 99 years old, chose not to lie in state and his funeral was a muted affair because it was held under strict social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last royal funeral before that was for Elizabeth’s mother, known as the Queen Mother, in 2002. She lay in state for three days, and her funeral costs were estimated to be around 5.4 million pounds.
(With AP inputs)
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