Yahoo Finance The Queen’s funeral costs: What we know
After the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the wheels are turning for her official goodbye, with the funeral set to take place on Monday, September 19 in London.
And while the official cost of the procession is not likely to be shared, it is expected to be an expensive affair.
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Here’s what we know so far about the funeral.
There were two official funeral arrangements made
The palace had planned for the Queen's funeral with two different options, depending on whether she was at Buckingham Palace or Balmoral Castle.
Operation London Bridge was the code name if she had died at Buckingham Palace but, since she was at Balmoral, Operation Unicorn kicked off.
Operation Unicorn begins by transporting her body from Scotland to London, this is done via car, royal train and plane.
The Queen's body will lie in Buckingham Palace's throne room before being transported to Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where she will lie for several days.
The official funeral
The state funeral will take place on Monday September 19 and will begin at 9:00am London time with Big Ben chiming.
Her body will be escorted to Westminster Abbey and a minute's silence will take place as she enters.
She will be buried in the Royal Vault with her husband, Prince Philip, who died in April last year.
How much will it cost?
Previous royal funerals have cost a pretty penny.
The Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002 reportedly cost around $9 million (£5.4 million), with the majority of that money spent on security.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral reportedly cost significantly less, due to the much smaller procession on account of COVID-19 restrictions.
Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, cost the equivalent of around $11 million by today’s standards, but was estimated to be between £3 and £5 million pounds then.
What did The Queen want?
There have been discussions around the cost of the funeral, given the cost-of-living crisis currently being felt across the UK and the world.
Over the course of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II often ensured the ways her money was handled was in line with the economic circumstances of the time.
For example, when The Queen married Prince Philip in 1947, she used WWII ration coupons to pay for her dress.
In 1992, The Queen volunteered to pay income tax and capital gains tax and, since 1993, her personal income was taxable as for any other British worker.
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