Queen Elizabeth's funeral cost UK taxpayer £162m, Treasury says

The Queen’s funeral and its related events cost the UK Government around £162m, it has been revealed.

The Treasury published the figures on Thursday which showed the Home Office alone spent £74m on the events, while the Department of Culture, Media and Sport spent £57m.

The Scottish Government spent £18.8m on events.

Other costs include the Ministry of Defence at £2.9m; Department for Transport at £2.6m; the Welsh Government at £2.2m; the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office at £2.1m; and the Northern Ireland Office at £2.1m.

In a written ministerial statement to Parliament, John Glen – the chief secretary to the Treasury – said all devolved governments were “fully” refunded for the costs.

He said the UK Government’s priority at the time was to ensure “these events ran smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public”.

Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral was held on September 19 last year and followed a period of national mourning.

She died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on September 8 before being laid to rest in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours.

After that, she was transported to Westminster Abbey in London where she was visited by hundreds of thousands of people.

Her funeral was attended by leaders from across the world, including US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and then New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern.