Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral cost UK government USD 200 million

London, May 18

Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and lying-in-state last year cost Britain’s government an estimated 162 million pounds (around USD 200 million), the treasury said on Thursday.

The state funeral for the late monarch, held on September 19, was the first in the UK since that of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.

The occasion, attended by world leaders and dignitaries, followed 10 days of national mourning after the queen died on September 8 after 70 years on the throne.

Hundreds of thousands of people were drawn to Westminster Abbey to see the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch lying in state.

The costs were published Thursday as part of a written statement to Parliament.

“The government’s priorities were that these events ran smoothly and with the appropriate level of dignity, while at all times ensuring the safety and security of the public,” said John Glen, chief secretary to the treasury, in a statement.

Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were both interred at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. AP