It was an event said to happen only once in a generation: the coronation of Charles III, the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years. It was May 2023, the festivities lasted a full weekend, but this historic occasion comes at a cost.
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The coronation of Charles III cost the British taxpayer 72 million pounds sterling, or 86.5 million euros. The most expensive thing is the organization itself, 50 million pounds, in particular the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, with more than 2,000 guests from all over the world and the concert at Windsor Castle.
Second item of expenditure: security. The costs of maintaining order during this weekend in May 2023 exceed 20 million pounds.
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The king had promised “sober” celebrations, saying he was aware of the economic crisis underway since 2022 and which has already plunged ten million Britons into poverty, reports our correspondent in London, Emeline Vin.
For comparison, her coronation will have cost half as much as the funeral of Elizabeth II, in September 2022. However, this cost does not include the loss of productivity linked to the exceptional public holiday granted for the occasion, estimated at more than 2 billion pounds.
Strong criticism
The main anti-monarchy group, Republic, points out that the bill omits spending at the local level, such as neighborhood parties, and denounces spending ” obscene » given the economic context.
Skeptics also note that the British monarch, who receives more public money than his European counterparts, is a multimillionaire capable of paying most of the institution’s bills. According to a YouGov poll carried out before the coronation and relayed by AFP, more than half of British people thought that the government should not finance the ceremony.
The royal family has faced recent calls for greater transparency and reform of their properties, after an investigation showed they profited from public establishments while receiving significant tax exemptions.
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