Queen's funeral to be paid for by British taxpayers as inflation soars in the country

The Queen's royal funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022, will be paid for by British taxpayers, even though the royal family is worth £28 billion and can fund the funeral. Security costs seem to be a major component of the high funeral costs since most international state leaders are expected to attend the funeral.

Though the UK government has not yet disclosed how much Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will cost, history has led Britishers to expect that Queen Elizabeth's once-in-a-lifetime kinda funeral will be a royally costly affair. The Queen will be buried on September 19, 2022, in a lavish funeral amidst the presence of not just her family, but also in the presence of UK officials, international heads of state, dignitaries, and about 7,50,000 people in London. 

Why so costly? The Queen's state funeral will include ceremonies, rituals, a military procession, and large screens streaming the events to the crowds gathered in London’s parks. But the main cost will pop up from the policing and security that will be engaged to manage international state leaders, dignitaries and the crowds. Since state leaders and Presidents from most countries of the world have been invited to attend Queen's funeral, handling the risk of potential threats like terrorism requires money and resources.

How costly will it be? As per a conversation between a royal expert and The Big Issue, The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April 2021 was relatively modest because of Covid restrictions while that of the Queen Mother in 2002 cost around £5.4 million at that time (around Rs 50 crore). Today, that amount is equivalent to £9 million (around Rs 81 crore). The royal expert has said that the Queen's funeral costs will be ''probably a fair bit more”.

Why are security costs so high? Security costs will be high because a large number of heads of state and dignitaries are expected to arrive for the funeral. Invites have mostly gone out to the heads of state of all countries except 6: Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria and Afghanistan. Also, in the case of North Korea, Iran, and Nicaragua, invites were only sent out to their ambassadorial representatives and not the head of state.

The UK Police also expects about 7,50,000 people to be in London to throng the city and catch a glimpse of the Queen one last time. And if you consider how many people are thronging in queues to London’s Westminster Hall (where the Queen is lying in state), the line stretches over four miles (6.5 kilometers) along the Thames river which is leading police to expect that London might be ''full'' for the first time ever. 

What are the other funeral costs?  The UK has declared a bank holiday on the day of the funeral and this is costly for UK's economy. Institutions like schools, hospitals and pharmacies will close and chain stores (McDonald’s 1,300 outlets to apparel shops like Zara) will shut their doors. But small private businesses like pet shops, nurseries and food banks will also close down which is not going down well with Twitter.

and they’re cancelling ppls nhs appointments, even cancer patients are getting their appointments cancelled like wtf this is one privileged old lady and everyone else has to suffer at the expense of a single death, ppl die every day why is she seen as above everyone else

— josie ❂ (@dateIuvr) September 13, 2022

The ethical problem has not even begun. The Queen’s lavish send-off is a bitter contrast to the UK’s high inflation and cost-of-living crisis as Britons face their worst inflation crisis ever. While many Britons are angry about having to choose between food and heating as winter sets in and witnessing thousands of tax payer's pounds being splurged on the funeral, another set of loyal royals is defending the expensive funeral. 

The loyal royals: Just like we have a craze for watching Shah Rukh Khan outside Mannat every once in a while in Mumbai, Britishers are attached to the Queen. 

Oh shut up, you clowns. You have no understanding about how we Brits feel about our great Queen, or you’d stop click-baiting all this negative garbage. https://t.co/8VdhzrcgaY

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 14, 2022

The queens Funeral will cost us less than a £each.

The queen has brought this country billions of pounds in tourism - which goes towards our public services.

I’m fine with it.

— Sophie Corcoran (@sophielouisecc) September 14, 2022

The British Government just committed north of £100bn to help with the cost of living.

The Queen’s funeral will cost be a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of that.

You absolute ghouls.

— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) September 14, 2022

She was Queen while you had 19 Presidential inaugarations and one President's funeral. Reckon the cost is probably very good value. https://t.co/DdA9hFrJjT

— Burnside (@BurnsideNotTosh) September 14, 2022

While the angry Britons are feeling down for a lot of reasons.  

I'm beginning to see why some are in favor of abolishing the monarchy.

It's ludicrous that UK taxpayers should have to foot the bill for any of these events.

— Nunya Business (@NunyaGDB) September 14, 2022

I’ve read that the Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation are going to cost £6b each? Is that appropriate in the midst of a cost of living crisis?

— Dame Angry Jackie of Sodem Hall (@CarrollJackie99) September 9, 2022

May her soul rest in peace. But reading this makes my blood boil, that we taxpayers are paying for her funeral & Charlie 's coronation. That's why I am not mourning her death. Cost of living & BOE interest rates keeps raising. Come October they are going to hike our energy bills

— cassma (@DFunkey) September 13, 2022

And while they use the Queen's death this way, they'll sanctimoniously wave their fingers at you for not being respectful enough.

— Laura Shortridge-Scott 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@DiscordianKitty) September 8, 2022

lol if you don’t live in the uk don’t even say anything about us making jokes about the queen’s death. the funeral and charles’ coronation is gonna cost billions of pounds paid by taxpayers while families everywhere won’t be able to pay their energy bills this winter.

— ੈ✩‧₊˚ jules (@brdqers) September 8, 2022

  In your opinion, who should really be bearing the cost of the funeral? And why?