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Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral costs will run into the millions, Fox News royal contributor Duncan Larcombe predicted.
The British government has not yet revealed the estimated cost for the late monarch’s funeral, which will take place Monday at London’s Westminster Abbey and will be paid for by British taxpayers.
“The cost is millions, [though] we never know the cost because we don’t really have all the official figures,” Larcombe told FOX Business.
Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral costs will run into the millions, Fox News royal contributor Duncan Larcombe predicted. (Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“You see, none of them includes the cost of security. And, frankly, you imagine the cost implications for the security that’s going to be thrown around Westminster Abbey on Monday with the likes of President Biden and royals from all over the world,” the royal author added.
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“The entire British royal family all in one building.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral will be the first in almost 60 years. The last British state funeral was held after the death of Winston Churchill in 1965.
In addition to U.S. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden, the queen’s funeral will be attended by an unprecedented number of world leaders and numerous politicians, dignitaries and celebrities.
British intelligence agencies Mi5 and Mi6, the London Metropolitan Police, the U.S. Secret Service and global intelligence bureaus will work in concert to protect the attendees, the New York Post reported.
The British government has not yet revealed the estimated cost for the late monarch’s funeral, which will take place Monday at London’s Westminster Abbey and will be paid for by British taxpayers. (Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Former royal security officer Simon Morgan told the outlet that he estimates security costs will top $7.5 million, which would make Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral the most expensive single-day event in British history.
“This is the biggest policing operation that United Kingdom policing has ever undertaken,” Morgan said. He added that the security costs will likely exceed those spent on the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
“When you look at the other events, they were big — the Prince and Prince of Wales’ wedding in 2011 was the biggest — but in comparison to this, you can’t compare it,” Morgan said.
Security costs for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding were over $7 million. Policing for the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002 cost taxpayers over $5 million.
Crowd estimates for the funeral range between 750,000 to 3 million. On Friday, the British government temporarily halted the queue to view the queen’s coffin after the line reached capacity. The queue currently stretches over five miles with a wait time of 24 hours.
Larcombe pointed out that the U.K. will observe a bank holiday Monday, which he said “will probably cost the economy several tens of millions of pounds.”
The British government announced the bank holiday Sept. 10 in an official press release.
Police on duty prior to the procession of the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II as it passes from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall Sept. 14, 2022, in London. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning,” the release stated.
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Per Forbes, schools and universities will be closed, as well as many preschools and nurseries. Many businesses, including major retailers and grocery store chains, have also announced that they will not be opening their doors out of respect for the funeral.
Hospitals and health care providers have said they are postponing “non-urgent” surgeries, procedures and consultations to enable staff and patients to mourn the queen.
Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral will be the first in almost 60 years. The last state funeral was held after the death of Winston Churchill. This photo is from Churchill’s funeral in 1965. (Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The move has sparked controversy with British citizens taking to social media to protest the cancellation of cancer treatments, maternity appointments and mental health consultations.
Theater chains, bowling alleys and gyms have also announced closures. Travelers can also expect many flights to be canceled as Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority stated Thursday that airspace around and above the British capital will be restricted over the next few days.
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However, Larcombe observed that the British economy may see a major bump due to overwhelming global interest in the proceedings.
“I think for having the focus of world attention on this tiny little island for a couple of hours when the queen is laid to rest, the money that the country spends on the funeral is small in most people’s eyes in comparison to the exposure and the level of tourism that it generates,” he remarked.
“It’s all part of the British brand. People tend to see this as just part of the marketing budget, if that makes sense and nobody minds.”
Added royal historian Richard Fitzwilliams, “The way her funeral is handled helps to define a nation. No cost should be spared nor will it be to ensure the funeral does justice to her memory.”
