King’s Coronation will not be display of ‘lavishness and excess’, minister promises

The Coronation will not be a display of “lavishness and excess” but will provide “value for the taxpayer” during the cost of living crisis, the Government has insisted.

However, Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the public wanted the “marvellous” moment to be celebrated properly and did not want “a dour scrimping and scraping”.

Mr Dowden was asked at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) how the Government planned to fund the Coronation.

Ronnie Cowan, SNP MP, said the May 6 ceremony would come at a time of “unprecedented strain on the public purse”, noting pay rises for nurses, postal workers and teachers required a hike in taxes or increased borrowing.

Mr Dowden replied: “It has always been the case that the Coronation of the King is an enormously important moment in the history of our nation, and it is right that the Government play their role in the funding of the Coronation.

“You would find that most people would expect our new King to have a proper Coronation. Nonetheless, of course, the King and the Government are mindful of ensuring that there is value for the taxpayer.”

Mr Cowan suggested that for the Coronation to be “appropriately reflective of today” it would not be a lavish expense for the British taxpayer.

“There will be £3.5 billion-worth of jewellery on display during these three days,” he said. “How do you explain that to people in my constituency who cannot heat their homes?”

Mr Dowden said: “You will not see lavishness or excess. However, if you are advocating the sale of the Crown Jewels or the sale of the coach of state, I would totally disagree and I would argue that most people would totally disagree with you.”

He said it was right to celebrate in a way that allowed the nation to come together, as it had done for Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilees and for her own 1953 coronation.

“These are moments in the life of our nation,” he added. “They bring joy to millions of people. They also mark us out as a nation around the world. I expect that people around the world will tune into it and we will have representatives from the realms, from the Commonwealth and from other nations.

“It is a marvellous moment in our history and people would not want a dour scrimping and scraping. They would want an appropriate ceremony. That is what we will have.”

Once-in-a-lifetime spectacle

The King is understood to have rejected the idea of a cut-price Coronation and wishes to use the occasion to showcase “UK plc”.

Royal sources have promised that the event will be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of “glorious” pomp and pageantry after Buckingham Palace and Government aides took heed of the enormous international coverage generated in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

However, the King is said to be deeply conscious of the cost of living crisis and there is clear acknowledgment that the ceremony will take place at a time of economic hardship, meaning that every penny must be accounted for and justified.

The Coronation will be shorter than the late Queen’s, with fewer attendees, better reflecting the modern monarchy and modern Britain.

The Queen’s 1953 Coronation cost an estimated £1.57 million, around £46 million today.

Mr Dowden said the Government had always paid for coronations as the sovereign was head of state and it was “important” to mark such a “marvellous” moment properly.

His constituents expected the King to have a “proper Coronation, and that is what he will have,” he added.

“The taxpayers’ money will be spent properly on this occasion.”