After the death of the sovereign at the age of 96 in her Scottish castle of Balmoral on September 8, her coffin was transported to Edinburgh, before being exposed to the public at Westminster Hall, the oldest chamber of the British Parliament, for five days. Hundreds of thousands of people marched to pay tribute to him.
The state funeral was then held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, in front of 2,000 guests including hundreds of dignitaries and foreign leaders, then in Windsor, where the Queen rests alongside her husband Prince Philip.
According to a written statement to Parliament by Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen, the total cost is estimated at £161.743 million.
"The government's priority was that these events take place in a smooth manner," "while ensuring public safety," he said.
The largest bill goes to the Ministry of the Interior, with 73.68 million pounds (nearly 85 million euros). Thousands of police officers had been deployed across the UK during the 10 days of national mourning.
The Department of Culture and Media comes next, with 57.42 million pounds sterling (66.2 million euros), ahead of the Scottish government (18.75 million pounds, or 21.6 million euros).
No official figures have yet been released for the coronation of King Charles held on May 6, but the anti-monarchy group Republic estimated that it would cost at least £100 million (115 million euros). Funding borne mostly by British taxpayers, in the grip of a sharp cost of living crisis while inflation exceeds 10%.
© 2023 AFP