CULTURE Secretary Michelle Donelan has said taxpayers will argue the cost of the Queen’s state funeral was “money well spent” despite not knowing how much cash was splashed on the event.
Around 2000 people, including Nicola Sturgeon, attended the funeral which took place in London on Monday.
Speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News on Tuesday, Donelan was quizzed about the overall cost of the funeral.
She said: “We haven’t got that total figure but I think the taxpayer would argue that it was money well spent.
“In my own constituency, I saw so many people coming out to celebrate for the Jubilee across the community.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan MP says taxpayers will argue that the cost of the Queen's state funeral was "money well spent", adding more than 250,000 people queued to see the monarch lying in state. Latest: https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/eUfHGkDI30
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 20, 2022
“In DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), the department that I lead, we’ve been leading on the efforts around the queue and that was remarkable.”
Donelan added that more than 250,000 people lined up to see the monarch lying in state at Westminster Hall.
The UK Government has said it will share details of the eventual cost of the funeral, covered by the state, “in due course”.
In 2002, the Queen's mother’s funeral reportedly cost £5.4 million, although the late monarch’s is expected to have cost significantly more.
Donelan added: “I always think of our late monarch as the glue that brought society together and communities together and in her final sort of act that’s exactly what she did and it was remarkable to see that on the ground.
“Having spoken to members in the queue, they’ve come from all over the four corners of the nation.”
Burley then continued to press Donelan on when we would know the final cost of the funeral to which the Culture Secretary reiterated her belief that the public would believe it was “money well spent”.
She added: “Look, I’m not sure of the exact costings but as I said I think the British public would argue that was money well spent.
“You saw so many thousands out there and I don’t think anybody could suggest that our late monarch didn’t deserve that send-off given the duty and the selfless service that she committed to over 70 years.
“I think it would be downright preposterous to suggest we shouldn’t have celebrated.”
Pressed one final time on when the final cost would be released, Donelan added: “That wouldn’t be my decision to take.”
