LONDON. The British public is asking persistent questions about its cost. coronation from King Charleswith more than five in ten Britons saying the ceremony should not hit the national budget, implying the royal family should cover the costs from their large fortune.

A long list of dignitaries, a procession of horse-drawn carriages through the streets London, The coronation itself and the draconian security measures that will be implemented throughout the capital are expected to lead to a sharp increase in costs. In the same time, economic crisis affects the purchasing power of households in Britannia it is expected to slow down planned enthronement ceremonies by limiting their scale and cost.

Charles III’s enthronement could cost between £50m and over £100m, according to the Coronation Committee, despite promises to cut costs. If this figure is confirmed, the ceremony will cost twice as much as for his mother, Elizabeth II in 1953. Palace experts attribute this increase to the gigantic budget for the protection of the May ceremony.

According to The Sun newspaper: “In today’s money, the 1953 coronation cost about £50 million. Estimates of the doubling of the cost are linked to the need to protect London from a potential terrorist threat. However, international TV rights will more than cover the cost, while tourist currency and hotel bookings have already skyrocketed.” The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 contributed more than £2bn to the national economy thanks to the sale of souvenirs and the arrival of tourists.

Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee celebration cost the London Metropolitan Police more than £8 million. During the four-day anniversary, police officers worked in 8,982 shifts.

Dear guests

Security accounts for the lion’s share of Charles’s coronation budget.

The security costs of Charles’s coronation are expected to be much higher due to the presence of even more heads of state and official guests in the capital. Undersecretary of the Interior for Police Chris Phillips confirmed the increase in spending in an interview: “We have an obligation to guarantee the safety of hundreds of heads of state. This is a police operation of unprecedented proportions and we hope the organization will be as effective as Elizabeth’s funeral.”

The costs of the coronation will be borne by British taxpayers, as the accession to the throne of a constitutional monarch is a matter of state. “The central state has always assumed the costs of the coronation of the monarch. The King is the head of state and his coronation provides an opportunity for national rallying,” says Conservative MP and minister without portfolio Oliver Dowden.

Reductions due to the crisis

In the midst of an acute crisis, when the cost of living for households in Britain was falling, the new monarch made some concessions by limiting part of his coronation expenses. Charles’s coronation ceremony will last from 90 minutes to 2 hours and thus will be much shorter than his mother’s ceremony, which lasted a full three hours.

The coronation guest list is also smaller than in 1953, with only 2,000 guests compared to 8,000 at Elizabeth’s coronation. Palace sources also want Charles to decide not to wear the new heavy coronation cloak that is specially made for each new monarch, preferring instead to wear his military uniform. Elizabeth wore a gown specially made for her coronation by couturier Norman Hartnell, requiring eight months of intense labor.

Charles, however, commissioned for his coronation a new cross which would contain fragments of the Holy Cross, a gift from Pope Francis for his enthronement. The Celtic cross was made from Welsh slate, recycled wood and National Mint silver. The cult object is engraved with the sayings of the patron saint of Wales, St. David. The ceremony will be strictly Anglican, despite a gift from Pope Francis and the presence of prelates from major religious denominations.