UK taxpayers approximately £162 million ($201 million) cost for Queen Elizabeth II‘s state burial and related expenses after her passing in September, the government said on Thursday in its first estimate made available to the public.
Early in May, a lavish state burial for Britain‘s longest-reigning monarch took place, requiring a massive security operation to protect hundreds of foreign heads of state and royals.
The interior ministry, which is in charge of policing, accounted for the largest percentage of the total expenditure (£73.7 million), according to finance minister John Glen in a written declaration to parliament.
The Scottish government was charged £18.8 million, while the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport paid £57.4 million.
The passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, and the subsequent period of grief were moments of enormous national significance, according to Glen.
The revelation, which comes just after Elizabeth’s son King Charles III was crowned earlier this month, has raised questions and protests as many Britons deal with the biggest cost-of-living crises in a decade.
Reports that the cost of that extensive security operation will exceed £100 million have been denied by Buckingham Palace.
