Cost of Charles' Coronation Was Eye-Popping

King Charles III's elaborate coronation cost taxpayers at least $90 million, a figure that raised plenty of eyebrows as it was revealed through an accounts report Thursday. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport spent around $62.5 million on what it called a "once-in-a-generation" state event, while the Home Office paid $27.5 million to cover policing, per the BBC. Though the sum is within unofficial estimates of $62.5 million to $125 million, it's not exactly pleasing to taxpayers. A poll conducted a month before the May 2023 coronation, amid a cost of living crisis, found more than half of Londoners didn't believe taxpayers should have to foot the bill.

It wasn't just a single ceremony at Westminster Abbey but a weekend of pomp, including "a star-studded concert" at Windsor Castle, the Guardian reports. Still, "all efforts were made to keep costs to a minimum," a DCMS rep says, per the Telegraph. In its annual accounts report, DCMS said it "successfully delivered on the central weekend of His Majesty King Charles III's Coronation, enjoyed by many millions both in the UK and across the globe." An estimated 2 billion people in 125 countries tuned in, including about 20 million in the UK—9 million fewer than watched Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, per the Guardian. DCMS added the coronation "offered a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase the UK to the world."

But the group Republic, which campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, says the $90 million would've been better spent on providing 27 million school meals rather than a "pointless, archaic parade." It notes the total is likely an undercount as "it doesn't include costs met by the Ministry of Defense" and complains that the king "already costs us half a billion pounds a year." Though the coronation was attended by 90 heads of state and numerous celebrities, the BBC reports the guest list was "a quarter of the size of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation at the same venue in 1953." Officials had described it as a "slimmed-down affair," coming months after the queen's funeral. That event cost taxpayers twice as much as Charles' coronation, per the Telegraph. (More King Charles III coronation stories.)