More than half of British people think taxpayers should not pay for Coronation, poll says

Over half of people in Britain think the Coronation of King Charles should not be paid for by taxpayers, according to a new poll. The crowning of the new monarch is set to cost millions with the full amount as yet unknown.

The survey was carried out by YouGov. It found 51% of adults questioned believe the ceremony should not be funded by the Government.

Almost a third – 32% – said it should, while around 18% did not know. Citing unconfirmed predictions, the PA news agency reports that Operation Golden Orb - the code name for the Coronation - could cost between £50 million and £100 million.

Younger people were particularly opposed to the idea of taxpayers funding the ceremony. Of the 4,246 adults surveyed, 62% of those aged 18 to 24 were not in favour of the coronation being Government-funded, while 15% were in favour.

With those aged 65 and over, the figures were more evenly balanced, with 44% saying it should not be Government-funded, and 43% saying it should. For 25 to 49-year-olds, 25% said the coronation should be Government-funded and 55% said it should not, and for 50 to 64-year-olds 46% said it should not be down to Government money, while 39% said it should.

Graham Smith, chief executive of campaign group Republic, has called the coronation an “expensive pantomime” and a “slap in the face for millions of people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis”.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden has previously insisted the King and the Government are “mindful of ensuring that there is value for the taxpayer” and there will not be “lavishness or excess”.

But Mr Dowden also told the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee at the start of the year: “It is a marvellous moment in our history and people would not want a dour scrimping and scraping.”

The late Elizabeth II’s coronation cost £912,000 in 1953 – £20.5 million in today’s money. Charles’s grandfather George VI was crowned at a cost of £454,000 in 1937, worth £24.8 million in 2023 and the most expensive coronation of the last 300 years.