Queen Elizabeth’s funeral cost British taxpayers more than $300 million

London: Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral and period of national mourning cost the British government an estimated £162 million ($303 million) over the almost two weeks, new figures have revealed.

The funeral, held on September 19 last year, was staged 11 days after the Queen’s death during a period when hundreds of thousands of people visited Westminster where her body was lying in state.

The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on the Long Walk on its way to Windsor Castle for her burial. Credit: Getty Images

It was the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill’s in 1965 and the biggest ceremonial event since World War II, with a military procession and service at Westminster Abbey attended by senior political figures and famous faces from across the world.

In a statement to parliament on Thursday, John Glen, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said the priority at the time had been to make sure the once-in-a-generation event ran smoothly and with “the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public”.

The spending estimates are for marginal costs – those that would not have been incurred by the departments in any case. Glen admitted the Treasury was likely to have to top up departmental budgets as a result.

The Home Office, which has responsibility for policing and national security, accounted for £73.7 million — the biggest portion of the total.

After the Queen died on September 8, aged 96, the UK started 10 days of national mourning.

She died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and her coffin was displayed at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours. The cost to the Scottish government has been estimated at £18.8 million.

After the coffin travelled back to London, people including former soccer star David Beckham lined up at all hours of the day during the six-day lying-in-state period to pay their respects, often in chilly temperatures.

The wait at one stage was estimated to be more than 24 hours, and the queue stretched from Westminster Hall, and south down along the River Thames for almost 11 kilometres.

The scale of the state funeral and mourning arrangements led to what police described at the time as “probably the biggest operation we’re likely to launch in the UK”.

Debate raged earlier this month over the costs of the coronation service and ceremonial parade of King Charles III during a cost-of-living crisis.

A cost-benefit audit conducted by Brand Finance on coronation eve found that the royal family continued to make a positive financial impact on the British economy, despite costs rising and benefits declining.

It found that the non-recurring benefits would be £1.692 billion, compared with non-recurring costs of £931 million, meaning that the coronation year would produce a net positive non-recurring contribution of £761 million.

The Queen Mother’s royal ceremonial funeral in 2002 cost more than £5.4 million (£9.3 million today) with policing costs amounting to £4.3 million. Her lying in state came to £825,000.

The cost of Prince Philip’s funeral in Apr 2021 has not been revealed but is likely to have been considerably less as it took place during lockdown and within the confines of Windsor Castle.

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