Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest on Monday in an elaborate state funeral. Like other lavish events for the royal family, British anti-monarchists grumbled about the extravagant cost of the affair—noting that the multimillion-pound funeral would be paid for entirely by taxpayers.
The high cost of the monarchy—from Buckingham Palace to private flights to $34 million weddings—has long been a complaint for British republicans. Without the monarchy, the argument goes, the British taxpayers will no longer be compelled to foot the bill for the lavish lifestyle of a family that appears to do little other than cut ribbons and be conspicuously wealthy.
