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Emily Stedman

How much could King Charles III's coronation cost and who will pay?

a close up of a british flag with king charles coronation 2023 written on it

As the historic event edges closer, members of the public want to know how much King Charles II's coronation is likely to cost.

An international guest list, a carriage procession along the streets of London and a crowning ceremony that will see King Charles crowned alongside Queen Camilla. These things certainly don't come without a cost, so it's no surprise that people are interested in the estimated budget required to pull off the upcoming coronation.

The last time the UK experienced an event like this was Queen Elizabeth II's coronation back in 1953. But sources have already suggested her son's special day will cost significantly more. Here's what we know so far about the cost of King Charles II's coronation.

How much could King Charles III's coronation cost?

According to Operation Golden Orb committee, King Charles III's coronation is estimated to cost over £100 million. The committee - who are responsible for planning the event - have made it clear they wish to make the coronation as cost efficient as possible.

The approximate cost of King Charles' coronation is roughly double what was spent on the Queen's coronation 70 years ago. Factors like inflation and security have been given as a reason for Charles' coronation costing considerably more.

A source told the Sun: "In today’s money the 1953 coronation cost around £50million but estimates for King Charles’s are twice that because of things like security, which weren’t such a big issue back then.

"But worldwide TV rights will more than cover the cost and it will be a massive boost to tourism. Hotels are already being booked out for the coronation weekend."

Indeed, when Prince William married Kate Middleton back in 2011, it brought with it a reported £2 billion for the UK economy.

Security certainly will be one of the biggest costs of the coronation planning. We can take the recent example of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration which set the Metropolitan Police back over £8 million. For the four day event, 8,982 shifts were worked by the force's officers.

It's likely that the cost for security at King Charles' coronation could be more than this figure, because of the extra security needed to protect high profile individuals attending the event - such as European royalty and heads of state from around the world.

Policing minister Chris Philp confirmed this in his interview with LBC, telling Nick Ferrari: "We’re providing protection for hundreds of foreign heads of state, overseas heads of state who are attending as well." He added that security will be a "huge operation" for the historic event which he hopes will be similar to the "fantastic" handling of the Queen’s funeral.

Who will pay for King Charles's coronation?

Essentially, British taxpayers will pay for King Charles III's coronation. Being a state event, the costs will be covered by the British government via funds that have been generated from the public.

"It has always been the case that the government have paid for Coronations," explains Oliver Dowden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. "The reason for doing so is that the sovereign is our Head of State and it is important that we mark that properly. It is right that we celebrate this moment in the life of our nation and do so in an appropriate fashion and in away that the nation can come together in celebrating."

Amidst the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the new monarch has made some cost-cutting measures to try and keep the coronation bill down. Philip Turle, International Affairs Editor at France 24, has said that Charles' coronation will be much shorter than his mother's - between 90 minutes and 2 hours, versus Queen Elizabeths' 3 hour-long ceremony.

The guest list for King Charles' big day is also smaller than the 1953 coronation with 2,000 guests invited in comparison to Queen Elizabeth II's 8,000 attendees.

It's also been reported that Charles will forgo the coronation gown and all the grandeur of a new outfit, and instead will wear a military uniform. The Queen wore a custom made coronation dress by designer Norman Hartnell for her crowning ceremony, which took 8 months to make.

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