...By Judah Olanisebee for TDPel Media.
Majority of Britons Believe Coronation of King Charles Should Not be Funded by Taxpayers
A recent poll conducted by YouGov has shown that over half of adults in Britain think that the coronation of the new King Charles should not be funded by the government.
The crowning of the new monarch is expected to cost millions, but the full amount is yet unknown.
The poll found that 51% of those questioned did not believe the ceremony should be funded by the government, while 32% did believe it should be, and around 18% were undecided.
Younger people were particularly against the idea of taxpayers funding the ceremony, with 62% of those aged 18 to 24 being opposed to it.
For those aged 65 and over, the figures were more evenly split, with 44% against government funding and 43% in favour.
Graham Smith, the chief executive of campaign group Republic, criticised the coronation as an “expensive pantomime” and a “slap in the face for millions of people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis”.
On the other hand, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, insisted that the King and the government are “mindful of ensuring that there is value for the taxpayer” and that there will not be “lavishness or excess” in the coronation.
The cost of the coronation, codenamed Operation Golden Orb, is uncertain, but some predictions estimate that it could cost between £50 million and £100 million.
The coronation of the late Elizabeth II in 1953 cost £912,000, which is equivalent to £20.5 million in today’s money.
In 1937, Charles’s grandfather George VI was crowned at a cost of £454,000, worth £24.8 million in 2023, which is the most expensive coronation of the last 300 years.
Despite the ongoing debate on whether taxpayers’ money should be used to fund the coronation of the new monarch, the public eagerly anticipates the event, which is steeped in tradition and history.
