King Charles III’s Coronation cost taxpayers £72m
Getty ImagesGovernment figures show King Charles III’s coronation cost taxpayers £72m last year.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is coordinating the event, spent more than £50 million, while policing costs, almost £22 million, were paid by the Home Office.
The DCMS describes the coronation as a “once in a generation” moment and the figures are broadly within unofficial estimates, which suggest the cost of the coronation will be between £50 and £100 million.
The coronation in May 2023 has been described as a “lite affair”, with the guest list at Westminster Abbey being only a quarter of the size of Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation at the same venue.
As a state event, the coronation is paid for by the British government and Buckingham Palace through the Sovereign Grant (a percentage of profits from the royal income) and the Private Purse (money from the private estates known as the Duchy of Lancaster).
As of March 2024, the net assets controlled by the Duchy of Lancaster were £647 million.
There has been criticism of the public funding of the coronation, which comes at a time when Britain is facing a cost of living crisis.
A YouGov poll conducted a month before the coronation showed that 52% of Londoners believed the cost of the coronation should not be paid for by taxpayers.
There has been much speculation about the cost to public funds, which DCMS said it would not be revealed until after the event.
The DCMS annual accounts, published on Thursday, said the coronation attracted an estimated global audience of two billion from 125 countries, saying it “provides a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase Britain to the world”.
ReutersKing Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, with dignitaries from around the world attending the coronation ceremony.
The king’s youngest son, Prince Harry, flew in from California to attend the ceremony, but his wife Meghan and their two children did not attend.
Celebrity guests at the Abbey include British showbiz royalty Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and Stephen Fry, as well as international stars such as American singers Lionel Richie and Katy Perry.
The Foreign Office said a total of 90 heads of state were in attendance, as well as the first ladies of the United States and Ukraine representing their respective presidents.
Thousands of people packed shopping malls in the rain to watch the parade march through London.
The next night, a star-studded concert was held at Windsor Castle, with performers including Perry, Richie and Take That.
