LONDON (Reuters) – Last year’s coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla cost 72 million pounds and showcased Britain to millions around the world, a government report said on Thursday, with the event costing less than half that of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
Charles and Camilla were crowned on May 6, 2023, in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades with a lavish display of pomp and pageantry in front of 100 world leaders and a global TV audience of millions.
In its annual report, the culture department (DCMS) which had responsibility for organising the coronation, said it had cost 50.3 million pounds ($63.6 million) to stage, with another 21.7 million pounds for policing costs.
That compared to an estimated 162 million pounds which was spent on the funeral of the last queen and related events in 2022.
Charles’ coronation was smaller than those of his predecessors including his mother’s, to reflect a more modern era and to acknowledge it was taking place at a time of financial difficulty for many people.
At the time, critics said it was wrong to spend large sums when the public was facing a cost of living crisis, but Buckingham Palace and organisers forecast it would provide an economic boost for Britain.
The DCMS said it was a “a once-in-a-generation moment which provided an occasion for the entire country to come together in celebration, and offered a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase the UK to the world”.
The department said the event had generated more than 100,000 news stories and reached an estimated global audience of 2 billion people in 125 countries.
($1 = 0.7909 pounds)
(Reporting by Michael Holden, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
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