The Queen’s funeral and lying-in-state cost nearly £162M, Treasury reveals

Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September cost the British government an estimated £161.7 million, the Treasury said.

Following the late Her Majesty’s death on September 8, the country entered ten days of national mourning, concluding with her state funeral on September 19.

During that time, the Queen’s coffin lay still in Edinburgh Cathedral before being moved to Westminster Abbey in London, where an estimated 250,000 people queued for hours to drop by and pay their respects during the state of lay.

Her son King Charles also embarked on a tour of the four nations of Britain, accompanied by then Prime Minister Liz Truss.

“The government’s priorities were for these events to proceed smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while ensuring the safety and security of the public at all times,” John Glen, First Secretary of the Treasury, said in a written statement to the parliament.

The Home Office, which is responsible for policing and national security, accounted for the bulk of the total, costing £73.7 million.

This was followed by £54.7 million spent by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and £18.8 million spent by the Scottish Government.

Other costs included: Ministry of Defence, £2.9m; Ministry of Transport, £2.6m; Welsh Government, £2.2 million; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, £2.1m; and the Northern Ireland Office £2.1 million.

The figures were published as part of a parliamentary written statement from John Glen, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

The Metropolitan Police said at the time that the funeral was the largest police event in its history, with dignitaries from all over the world attending.

On the morning of her funeral, the Queen’s delays came to an end, after some had queued for more than 24 hours to get into the abbey.

The line stretched as far as Southwark Park, but thousands were disappointed when the sleeping period was over before they could reach Westminster.