The coronation of Charles III, a symbolic ceremony months after he was officially king, cost the British taxpayer in May 2023 at least 72 million pounds, that is, more than 86.5 million euros, according to data recently published by the Government.
The Ministry of Culture, Communication and Sports, the one in charge of the event’s budget and which has just published your accounts for 2023-2024claims that the costs of Charles and Camilla’s coronation ceremony were 50.3 million pounds; In addition, the Home Office received a further £21.7 million for the estimated extra cost of coronation security, which included a carriage procession and a ceremony at Westminster Abbey to place the gold and silver crown on the monarch. diamonds and other precious stones that has been passed from head to head since 1660.
The coronation expenses were an extra cost for the Treasury and did not come out of the British crown budget, which is the highest in the world among the royal families and exceeds 100 million euros annually. In addition, the monarch has a personal fortune of about 2,000 million euros that he has built with investments and non-transparent relationships, as the newspaper’s journalistic investigation has extensively documented. Guardian.
Charles III came to the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, with promises of austerity and reform, but the budget for the royal family has only increased. In 2025, it will reach 132 million pounds a year, or 161 million euros, according to the application of the agreement with the previous Conservative Government.
An optional rite
The coronation ceremony is a tradition, but it was not necessary for the proclamation of Charles as monarch, automatic since the death of Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch. The decision to hold the ceremony and the details of how to do it depended on the royal family.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the ceremony was a success due to its audience and the security with which it took place. In its accounts report, the Ministry highlights that 2,000 guests attended the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, some 20,000 spectators went to the concert held that night at Windsor Castle and thousands of people filled the streets of London for hours to see the procession from afar. He also assures that charitable organizations raised the equivalent of 17 million euros those days and that the occasion “gave the opportunity for communities to hold street parties as a national act of celebration and friendship.”
The coronation gave an extra holiday, the following Monday, which usually hurts the economy. The impact of the ceremony is difficult to measure, but the extra holidays reduce production: that month of May the GDP fell 0.3% compared to the previous month, as highlighted a report on the subject to the House of Commonswhich also remembers the time of high prices and strikes. Despite the occupancy of over 90% of the hotels in London that weekend and previous estimates, the Pub and restaurant revenues fell that month.
The coronation ceremony had an estimated television audience of 20 million viewers, compared to 29 million for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral the previous year.
The majority of Britons believed in April 2023 that the Government should not pay for coronation expenses, according to a YouGov survey. almost half of those surveyed then said that it was unlikely that they would go to see the coronation. 9% said that the coronation mattered “a lot” and 24% said “quite a bit.” according to the same pollster.
Higher actual cost
“The coronation was an archaic, meaningless parade that happened because Charles wanted it. “There was no need,” Graham Smith said this Thursdayspokesperson for Republic, an organization of activists who call for transparency in the accounts of the British crown, the reform of its role and ultimately the election at the polls of the head of state and the transformation of the United Kingdom into a parliamentary republic. “At a time when so many people are suffering from the cost of living crisis, it is a shame that Carlos insisted on this pointless extravagance,” Smith complained.
According to Republic, the cost of the ceremony is underestimated since, for example, expenses for the Ministry of Defense are not included. “The real cost is probably much higher,” according to this organization, which highlights that the £72 million budget would pay, for example, for 27 million lunches for schoolchildren who need help eating.
The United Kingdom, more affected than its neighbors by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, continues to suffer the effects of the disconnection from its main market, the EU, and the deterioration of public services after cuts in 14 years of Conservative Government. Labor’s new executive Keir Starmer promises not to make any more cuts, but he is struggling to balance the budget and has already touched upon some aid and relief.
In the United Kingdom, more than 16 million people live below the poverty line, that is, 24%, according to a study by an independent commission and non-partisan inequality specialist. This recently published study estimates that more than two million people fell into poverty since 2019, reaching the highest percentage of poor people since comparable data existed, in 2000.
Republic compares the coronation expense to school meals – although that “savings” would not go to those items – because children are the most affected by the deterioration of conditions in the country. The study estimates that more than five million children, or 36%, live in poor families.
The majority of the population believes that the monarchy is a “good thing” for the United Kingdom, according to the latest data available from YouGovfrom August of this year, although support for the institution has decreased, especially among those under 50 years of age. Carlos is less popular than his eldest son and more than his current wife.
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