London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 21, 2026

Queen Elizabeth II: Funeral and 10 days of mourning cost government £162m

Queen Elizabeth II: Funeral and 10 days of mourning cost government £162m

Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and events during the period of national mourning cost the government an estimated £162m, the Treasury has said.

The state funeral on 19 September 2022 came 11 days after her death.

During that period of national mourning hundreds of thousands of people visited Westminster where she was lying in state.

The Home Office (£74m) and Department of Culture, Media and Sport (£57m) spent the most.

The costs incurred by the government departments relate to the Queen's funeral and other events in the run-up, including the monarch's lying-in-state.

John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury, said the government's priority at the time had been to make sure "these events ran smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public".

In a written ministerial statement made to Parliament, Mr Glen said the Treasury had provided additional funding where necessary and the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments were "fully" refunded for their respective costs.

The estimated costs include:

*  Department for Culture, Media & Sport - £57.42m

*  Department for Transport - £2.565m

*  Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - £2.096m

*  Home Office - £73.68m

*  Ministry of Defence - £2.890m

*  Northern Ireland Office - £2.134m

*  Scottish Government - £18.756m

*  Welsh Government - £2.202m

*  Total - £161.743m

After Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022 aged 96, the UK started 10 days of national mourning.

The late Queen's coffin was laid to rest in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours, before the monarch was taken to Westminster Abbey in London where thousands of mourners queued for hours to pay their respects.

People lined up in London at all hours of the day, often in chilly temperatures, to pay their respects - including David Beckham.

The wait time at one stage was estimated to be more than 24 hours; and the queue snaked from Westminster Hall, down along the River Thames and stretched south for almost seven miles (11km).

The scale of the state funeral and mourning arrangements led to what police described at the time as "probably the biggest operation we're likely to launch in the UK".

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin being carried out of Westminster Abbey


World leaders and foreign royalty joined the Royal Family for the state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Members of the 2,000-strong congregation included the Queen's great-grandchildren, the prime minister at the time Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill.

The event was watched by millions of people across the country and around the world.

It was the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965 and the biggest ceremonial event since World War Two.

After the funeral, the Queen's coffin travelled in a procession to Wellington Arch and then on to its final journey to Windsor Castle and a committal service.

Queen Elizabeth II's death was followed by 10 days of national mourning


The cost was used to facilitate the smooth running of the event and ensure mourners from the UK and across the world could visit and take part safely, Downing Street has said.

"Of course, a major international event of this scale, we wanted to ensure that we could enable people to pay their respects," a No 10 spokesman added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
EU Imposes Record €550 Million Digital Services Fine on AliExpress
UK Publishes Updated Consumption-Based Carbon Emissions Data
English Regions Prepare for Expanded Devolution and Infrastructure Powers
Russell Group Backs New Government and Calls for Stronger University-Industry Links
Bank of England Maintains Restrictive Monetary Policy Amid Persistent Inflation
Climate Progress Report Renews Debate Over the UK's Net Zero Strategy
New UK Government Launches Drive to End Rough Sleeping and Expand Social Housing
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Appoints John Healey as Chancellor in Cabinet Reshuffle
OECD Calls for Structural Reforms as UK Economy Faces Slower Growth
International Monetary Fund Expects UK Economic Growth to Slow to One Percent in 2026
Andy Burnham Takes Office as UK Prime Minister and Unveils Decade-Long Reform Agenda
London’s Housing Starts Collapse as Planning and Building Costs Stall Development
Charlie Sheen’s Daughter: "My Dad Didn’t Buy Me a House, My Breasts Bought It"
Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign
Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France
Naturally Conceived Identical Quadruplets Born in Rare Brisbane Delivery
Tate Brothers Fight British Extradition Bid After Miami Arrests
Burnham Reshapes Britain’s Government Around Living Costs, Devolution and Security
Jingye Demands Full Compensation After Britain illegally Nationalized British Steel
Just Another Liar or a Robin Hood? Andy Burnham Pledges Cost-of-Living Help in First Speech as UK Prime Minister
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Brilliant move: Péter Magyar Moves to Nominate Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár as Hungary’s President
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Police Block Cockroach Janta Party’s March to Parliament as Education Protests Intensify
Current AI Seeks to Build an Open Global AI Infrastructure Outside Big Tech Control
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
Josh Kerr Breaks Twenty-Seven-Year World Mile Record at London Diamond League
Thames Water Crisis Deepens as South East Water Outages Hit Thousands in Kent
EU Ban on Destroying Unsold Clothing Forces British Fashion Brands to Change Operations
UK Government Confirms Existing North Sea Oil and Gas Licences Will Be Honoured
UK Covid Inquiry Finds Nearly Ten Billion Pounds Lost in Pandemic Protective Equipment Procurement
Thames Water Moves Toward Possible Temporary Nationalisation Amid Rescue Plan Dispute
Andy Burnham Cancels One Point Eight Billion Pound Digital ID Programme After Taking Office
UK Government Takes British Steel Into Full Public Ownership to Protect Jobs and Supply Chains
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister and Pledges Focus on Living Costs and Public Services
Germany’s Economic Malaise Reopens the Sunday Shopping Debate
Singapore Considers Lower Taxes for Fund Managers as Hong Kong Intensifies Talent Contest
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Bank of Asia BVI Enters Court-Supervised Liquidation After Regulators Find It Insolvent
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate Who Turned "Toxic Masculinity" Into a Brand Arrested in Miami as Britain Seeks Their Extradition
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
×