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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dan Bloom

Cost of Queen's state funeral will be published by government 'in due course'

The cost to taxpayers of the Queen’s state funeral, lying-in-state and other public events will be published “in due course”, No10 said today.

Downing Street confirmed the government will issue a final figure for the grand ceremonies, which captivated the nation and were attended by hundreds of thousands.

The Queen Mother’s funeral 20 years ago cost an estimated £2.1million for police, and £825,000 for her lying in state.

Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011 cost £3.8m in additional police costs, which included giving all PCs and Sergeants double pay because the day was declared a bank holiday.

But estimates for the cost of the Queen's funeral, also declared a bank holiday, have varied wildly. The Full Fact website suggests previous such events cost around £8million in today's money.

King Charles appeared grief-stricken at points in yesterday's public ceremonies (Getty Images)

More than 250,000 people attended the Queen’s lying-in-state in Westminster Hall to catch a glimpse of her coffin.

Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of London and Windsor, with crowds at points more than a dozen deep for her final procession yesterday.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said that she couldn't give a figure for the cost of the state funeral but she added: "I think the British public would argue that was money well spent."

Asked if the government will publish the cost of the ceremonies over the last 10 days, a No10 spokeswoman said: “I don’t have a date. We will, but in due course.”

She added: “We need to look at how you combine various costs across the period as a whole.

“We will be providing costs in due course.”

The funeral of the Queen at Westminster Abbey was described by a minister as 'money well spent' (Getty Images)

The 10-day period of national mourning for the Queen saw a 10-mile queue for the lying-in-state with 500 portable loos and support from 1,500 military personnel.

It culminated in the state funeral on Monday, where world leaders, foreign royals and hero Brits were among the crowds joining King Charles and the royal family to say goodbye to the Queen.

A No10 spokeswoman said: “It’s been the single biggest event since the London Olympics, equivalent to standing up hundreds of state visits in just 10 days.

“It was an event that allowed people from all across the UK and around the world to come together and pay their respects.

“A huge outpouring of love, respect and affection we’ve seen over the past weeks has not only been a remarkable show of unity across the country, but also a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Her Majesty the Queen.”

She paid tribute to civil servants, service people and journalists for helping convey the scenes to the public.

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