Britain’s government shelled out an estimated $200 million for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state and funeral in September, the treasury revealed Thursday.
“The federal government’s priorities were that these events ran easily and with the suitable level of dignity, while in any respect times ensuring the protection and security of the general public,” John Glen, chief secretary to the treasury, said in a press release.
Prior reports estimated the safety alone cost $7.5 million.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch, died Sept. 8 on the age of 96.
Her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall drew hundreds of mourners, some enduring a 30-hour wait.
Her funeral — which took place Sept. 19, after 10 days of mourning — honored her historic 70-year reign.
Tens of hundreds of individuals crowded the streets to catch a glimpse of the procession before the funeral service.
The queen was laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Her service, which was honored with a bank holiday, was the primary state funeral within the nation since former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s in 1965.
The queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, received a more subdued ceremony in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He died on the age of 99, selecting to not lie in state.
The Queen Mother’s 2002 funeral was estimated to cost greater than $6 million on the time.
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, her son, King Charles III, ascended the throne. On May 6, he was formally crowned in a “scaled back” ceremony estimated to cost as much as $125 million.
By comparison, the queen’s coronation in 1953 would have billed greater than $60 million today.
