Last year's coronation of Charles III cost Great Britain £72 million, a government report published on Thursday revealed. It was the largest celebration on the Islands in 70 years, watched by two billion people around the world. Authorities described it as a “once in a generation moment.” However, according to opponents of the monarchy, the event was organized too lavishly and they accuse the government of wasting public money “on a parade of one person.”
Cost of coronation King Charles III and Queen Kamila was stated in a report by the British Department of Culture, Media and Sport published on Thursday. It shows that the coronation cost 72 million pounds – the equivalent of 375 million zlotys and almost half of the amount that cost the funeral of Elizabeth II. This value includes the costs of organizing the ceremony and its protection. The first element cost £50.3 million (equivalent to PLN 262 million), and another £21.7 million (PLN 113 million) was spent on the second element.
According to the government, the event was a “once in a generation moment.” It was the largest ceremony in Britain for 70 years. Leaders of nearly 100 countries came from various corners of the world. The streets of London were filled with crowds, and the ceremony was watched by two billion people around the world. Over 100,000 press articles were also devoted to the coronation.
The cost of the coronation of Charles III
Due to the fact that the event was organized at a financially difficult time for the kingdom, it was more modest than the coronation of Elizabeth II and her predecessors. This was supposed to be proof of the new, more modern face of the monarchy. However, her opponents still consider the coronation excessively lavish. Representatives of the anti-monarchist group Republic said the coronation was “completely unnecessary and a waste of money.”
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Coronation of Charles III James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon / EPA / PAP
– This is a huge amount of money for one person's parade – said Graham Smith, executive director of the Republic group, quoted by The Guardian. In his opinion, spending more than £70 million on the ceremony was an “obscene” waste of taxpayers' money. Speaking to the Guardian, Smith also questioned the veracity of the government's cost of the event. According to the man, organizing the ceremony cost much more money. – But even the money given (in the report) is unbelievable – he added.
A survey conducted by the research company YouGov showed that over 52 percent of Londoners were opposed to the coronation being paid for with public money – reminds the BBC.
Main photo source: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon / EPA / PAP