The pomp and pageantry that Britain is set to witness as King Charles will be crowned alongside his wife Camilla is a costly affair. Even though King Charles has emphasized on “slimmed-down” monarchy aiming to have fewer senior working royals and a modest coronation ceremony, the event is reportedly set to cost over 100 million pounds ($125 million) although no official estimate yet of what it might cost has been shared. Some reports estimate it could top 100 million pounds ($125 million).
As per Euronews., when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned a whopping £1.5 million was spent in 1953 – equivalent to 56 million pounds in today’s money. Back then while around 8,000 people attended the ceremony, King Charles has reportedly requested a shorter event with a smaller guest list.
Some estimates were “more fanciful than others” and that the true cost would be shared later, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Reuters. But the coronation comes at a time when the UK weathers a bruising cost-of-living crisis that has left many Britons struggling.
Although officials are expecting to see a tourism boost and additional profit from coronation-themed events and commemorative products, opinion polls show that support for the monarchy has weakened in recent years. Criticism for the monarchy was relatively muted in recent years out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II but the leader of the anti-monarchist group Republic has said that it plans to have more than 1,000 protesters chanting, “Not my king” as the royal procession passes by during King Charles’ coronation.