Queen’s funeral to cost UK over $9m; why Westminster Abbey was chosen
This is how much the Queen’s burial will cost, and it’s revealed why she broke with royal custom.
The last time a British king was given a royal funeral at Westminster Abbey was King George II in 1760.
However, Queen Elizabeth defied custom by ordering that British kings and queens’ burials be held at Windsor’s St
George’s Chapel for a good cause.
Throughout her life, the Queen has been greatly influenced by the Abbey. It was the location of her coronation and
marriage to Prince Philip. There, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, two of her offspring, were married.
Four billion visitors are expected to gaze upon it on Monday, making it one of the most renowned and famous
cathedrals in all of England.
The Queen will be farewelled on Monday.
Aerial view of Westminster Abbey.
The Gothic, cavernous building is more than 1,000 years old and has played host to countless significant historical
moments – most recently, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, and the funerals of The Queen Mother in
2002 and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
The ceremony space has the capacity to seat 2,200 people – a number likely to quickly be reached for Queen
Elizabeth II’s funeral next week.
The Abbey is 1000 years old. Picture: Supplied/Westminster Abbey
The event is set to be one of the biggest gatherings of royalty and politicians hosted in Britain for decades.
Its venue, which is one of the United Kingdom’s most renowned religious buildings, has also been the traditional site
of coronations over the centuries – as well as burials.
Of all the attractions within The Abbey’s famous walls, the Royal Tombs and Poet’s Corner sections are the most
popular with the millions of tourists who visit annually.
Queen Elizabeth II’s State funeral will cost British taxpayers millions of dollars but it won’t be the most expensive the
world has ever seen.
While the British Government has not disclosed the cost, the 10-day funeral culminating at Westminster Abbey next
week is estimated to cost more than $A9 million and has the potential to be the biggest global TV event in history.
The Queen lies in state at Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral on Monday.
World leaders including US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern are among those attending, their appearances alongside other dignitaries adding to the
publicly funded security bill.
The nation’s last state funeral was for the Winston Churchill in 1965, who was actually prime minister when the late
monarch took the throne in 1952.
There have been notable – and costly – ceremonial funerals in the years since, which indicate just how costly the
Queen’s funeral will be.
While the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, last year was small due to his wishes and the coronavirus
pandemic, the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002 was estimated to have cost £5.4 million ($A9.2m).
security, according to a House of Commons report. She was the last person to lie in state at Westminster Hall.
More than 11,800 police staff and 1200 civil staff were in operation from the day of her death to her funeral.
Prince Phillip’s private funeral had just 30 mourners and his request not to lie in state also reduced security costs.
Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 was estimated to have cost five million pounds ($A8.5m). She also did not lie in
state and instead laid to rest at St James’s Palace.
An estimated 2.5 billion people watched the funeral on television across the world.
Queen Elizabeth II will lie-in-state until the morning of the funeral on Monday, open 24 hours a day.
The Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002 cost around $A9 million.
Her coffin will be carried to Westminster Abbey for the funeral on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy.
Despite the Queen’s funeral expected to cost more than $A9 million (as her mother’s did) it is unlikely to be the most
expensive funeral in history.
That record is said to be held by Alexander the Great, who had a solid gold coffin and golden carriage.
In more recent times, Ronald Reagan’s funeral was reportedly estimated to have cost $US400m ($A593m) in 2004.
Britain came to a complete halt in 1997 for Princess Diana’s funeral.
The anticipated cost of the 2005 funeral of Pope John Paul II and the conclave, election, and inauguration of Pope
Sovereign grants are government funds given to the Royal Family to support royal functions “like receptions and
However, the funding does not cover general security costs, metropolitan police charges for events, or local government logistic expenditures like road closures; these are handled by the government.
While anti-royalists were appalled that so many Britons were struggling with the expense of living, ardent royalists told News Corp Australia that the Queen deserved a lavish burial after serving the UK for 70 years.
British citizens on both sides cited the nation’s revenue from royal-related tourism.
Read more news on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply