$139m bill for coronation ‘too much in tough times’

Critics have argued taxpayer spending on the events was too large and out of touch, given the huge demands on stretched public funds.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the flypast on coronation day last year. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The King’s coronation last year cost British taxpayers £72m ($139m), official accounts reveal.

Critics have argued taxpayer spending on the events was too large and out of touch, given the huge demands on stretched public funds and economising in recent years by many Britons.

The figures showed the ­Department for Culture, Media and Sport spent £50.3m, while the Interior Ministry’s costs for policing the “once-in-a-generation” event totalled £21.7m.

Charles was formally crowned monarch at Westminster Abbey in a May 2023 ceremony attended by international dignitaries.

A star-studded concert at Windsor Castle took place the next night. The disclosure of the final bill, which had been estimated at more than £100m, is nonetheless set to spark fresh condemnation from anti-monarchists in Britain, who have been stepping up their criticisms of the royal family and what they say are excessive and unfair financial benefits it ­receives in straitened times.

The country has been gripped by post-pandemic cost pressures, with decades-high inflation during much of last year, while flatlining economic growth has led to declining living standards.

Sceptics also note that the monarch, who receives more public money than European counterparts, is a multimillionaire capable for footing more of the institution’s bills.

More than half of Britons asked told pollster YouGov before the coronation that the government should not be funding it.

The royals this month faced calls for more transparency and reform of their private estates, after an investigation alleged they have been profiting from public bodies while benefiting from major tax exemptions.

In its annual report and ­accounts, the cultural department said it “successfully delivered on the central weekend of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation, enjoyed by many millions both in the UK and across the globe”.

The department said the events “offered a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase the UK to the world”.

AFP