Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II cost UK Government £161.7 million
The funeral and lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 cost the UK Government an estimated £161.7 million, figures show.
The largest cost was reported by the Home Office at £73.7 million, followed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at £57.4 million.
The cost to the Scottish Government is estimated at £18.8 million, which is likely to have included events such as the lying-in-rest in Edinburgh following her death at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.
Written statement
The figures have been published by the Treasury as part of a written statement to the UK Parliament and cover the period from her death on September 8 to her funeral in London on September 19.
Downing Street said the cost was used to facilitate the smooth running of the event and ensure mourners from the UK and across the world could visit and take part safely.
“Of course, a major international event of this scale, we wanted to ensure that we could enable people to pay their respects,” a No 10 spokesman said.
Other costs include £2.9 million by the Ministry of Defence, £2.6 million by the Department for Transport, £2.2 million by the Welsh Government and £2.1 million by both the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Northern Ireland Office.
The Treasury said that the costs include “fully refunding” the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the Northern Ireland Office, “which in turn they were able to repay to partners who also incurred costs”.
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Imagine the difference that would be made if we invested £162 million in children’s cancer treatment and research.
So the funeral and coronation cost the tax payer almost half billion pounds. Why? This familiy is worth billions – it should be paying for these things itself. At a time of hardship for many half a billion quid could have helped those who really needed it.
So even in death they steal from the taxpayer!
Doesn’t this bunch of scroungers pay for anything themselves. I paid for my mother and father’s funerals and I did not expect anyone else to do so because it was my responsibility. Bloody hell mun, have they ever seen a bill? This nonsense has to stop!! I like the way it is made out that the government paid. In other words…. we bloody well paid!!!!! £160,000,000 for a funeral, £250,000,000 for a farce of a coronation…..
What an absolute waste of public money seeing the cost of living crisis where those on benefits and the working poor attend food banks as a means to survive. 🙄
Pure cremation or similar outfit would have given a much cheaper quote
possibly two for one going forward just give them a phone