Queen Elizabeth's funeral cost £162 million, official figures show
18 May 2023, 17:28
Queen Elizabeth's funeral and lying-in-state cost an estimated £161.7 million, official figures show.
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The figures, which were published by the Treasury on Thursday as part of a written statement to parliament, cover the period from the Queen's death on September 8 to her funeral in London on September 19.
Downing Street said the cost was to make sure the funeral ran smoothly, and so mourners from the UK and across the world could visit and take part safely.
"Of course, a major international event of this scale, we wanted to ensure that we could enable people to pay their respects," a No 10 spokesman said.
The largest cost was reported by the Home Office at £73.7 million, followed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at £57.4 million.
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Other costs include £2.9 million by the Ministry of Defence, £2.6 million by the Department for Transport, £2.2 million by the Welsh Government and £2.1 million by both the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Northern Ireland Office.
Read more: Marr: Queen's funeral was for the monarchy, for Britain and for the lonely and bereaved
The Treasury said that the costs include "fully refunding" the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the Northern Ireland Office, "which in turn they were able to repay to partners who also incurred costs".
The full costs are:
- Department for Culture, Media & Sport - £57.42m
- Department for Transport - £2.565m
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - £2.096m
- Home Office - £73.68m
- Ministry of Defence - £2.890m
- Northern Ireland Office - £2.134m
- Scottish Government - £18.756m
- Welsh Government - £2.202m
The funeral for the Queen, who died on September 8 last year, was broadcast on terrestrial TV and digital services, and on air and streamed online to billions of viewers.
There was a national bank holiday in the UK to allow as many people as possible to watch the ceremony.
The coffin was taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster, where hundreds of thousands of people had queued to pay their respects, to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.
Senior members of the family followed behind like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The military lined the streets and also joined the procession. Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life were invited to gather in the abbey, which holds a congregation of 2,000.
After the service, the coffin was taken in procession from the abbey to Wellington Arch and then to Windsor.
Once there, the hearse travelled in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, after which a televised committal service took place in St George’s Chapel.
Later in the evening, there was a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.
