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Much of the cost of the last royal wedding will ultimately be borne by British taxpayers
On October 12, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will tie in knot. Their wedding will mark the second royal wedding of the year after the ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May.
So how much should it cost and who pays?
Ensuring security is probably one of the most important expenses. This bill will be the responsibility of the police – and, by extension, the taxpayer.
Security inside Windsor Castle will be provided by Diplomatic Protection Officers, a branch of the London Metropolitan Police Service. The Thames Valley police, the local police, will provide security in the very city of Windsor.
He did not say how much it would cost. However, he has published some details on the type of security measures he will implement – for example, erecting anti-vehicle gates, searching, using sniffer dogs, and ensuring "a greater presence of people." 39, armed and unarmed agents "in and around the city. Windsor.
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Jonathan Brady
Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie
The wedding of Princess Eugenie comes five months after the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan to Windsor Castle.
Shortly after the big day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Anthony Stansfeld, Commissioner of Police and Judicial Police of Thames Valley, told the BBC that the estimated cost of monitoring their marriage was "between 2 and £ 4 million ".
We also know that the Metropolitan Police Service spent £ 6.35 million on marriage security for Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, based on a demand for access to the city. 39, information published by the Press Association.
We asked Mr. Stansfeld's office to provide a similar estimate for the Princess Eugenie ceremony – but we were told it would not be possible "before the end".
The Eugenie wedding should attract a smaller crowd and the carriage ride will be greatly reduced.
The BBC logically understands that the cost for the Thames Valley police should be lower than Prince Harry's marriage – but until all the numbers are calculated, they can not say for sure.
Some newspapers suggest that the security bill could rise to about 2 million pounds, but it is only an estimate and not an official figure.
Special grants
Originally, the Thames Valley police must absorb the costs.
After the wedding, the police will be allowed to ask the "Home Office" for a "special grant" to recover some of the money.
Special grants – funded by the taxpayer – are available to all police departments of England and Wales to cover the costs associated with keeping order of unforeseen and exceptional events.
The cost of the event must be greater than 1% of the annual budget of a force to be qualified.
In the case of Thames Valley, this would amount to about £ 3.7 million, based on the £ 372 million annual budget last year.
The force has not yet called for Prince Harry's wedding, but police assistant and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, said the Thames Valley police would do it "in due course".
The complexity of the operation, as well as the number of organizations involved, means that the costs have yet to be finalized, he said.
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The couple will go down the alley from St George's Chapel to Windsor Castle
Cost for the council
Other organizations, such as the local council, will also be involved, which will result in additional public costs.
A budget report published on the Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council website indicates that local authorities spent £ 1.2 million on Prince Harry's wedding in May.
This cost includes £ 495,000 for housekeeping, £ 108,000 for toilets and £ 75,744 for temporary parking.
The council also received an income of £ 73,332 – the majority from parking fees and communication costs.
In addition, the influx of visitors to the city has probably boosted the local economy, but its impact is difficult to quantify.
The report reveals that the central government (again, by extension, the British taxpayer) has repaid most of the bill, which means that the final cost for the board was £ 92,891.
Windsor and Maidenhead said it was too early to determine how much money would be spent, but we hope it will receive another government rebate.
Why are royals paid for security?
Princess Eugenie occupies the ninth row of the throne – a "royal miner" in the eyes of some critics.
The Republic, which is fighting for an elected state leader, has launched a petition calling on the government to "not commit public money" for the royal wedding.
Until now, he has received about 40,000 signatures.
The Vice President of the Republic, Dani Beckett, states that, since Princess Eugenie is not a king in activity – that is to say, she does not perform any functions public as a member of the royal family – marriage should be treated as a private event and all its elements (including security) should be paid for by the couple itself.
"No one forced her to hold a carriage and a prestigious ceremony, and she could have chosen another less lavish wedding," Beckett said.
- Eugenie wedding: everything you need to know
- Royal Wedding 2018: who pays?
Buckingham Palace said the cost of security "falls to the police".
So why does the police ensure the safety – at the expense of the state – of the marriage of Princess Eugénie?
Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, regardless of the major or minor importance of the royal, according to Dai Davies, former chief of royal protection.
"In reality, you have to look at the assessment of the threat and someone must make a judgment," he says. "Will the couple in question attract attention and is there a potential risk to the public?"
If the answer is yes, the police – according to Mr. Davies – are obliged to provide security, regardless of the seriousness of the royal person's perception.
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There will be an increased presence of armed and unarmed officers in and around Windsor.
Other costs
The private aspects of marriage – such as flowers, entertainment and clothing – will be paid for by the royal family itself.
But how far should a parent be from waiting for the queen to pay for your wedding?
"The queen herself draws the threshold for weddings that the royal family chooses to pay," said Dickie Arbiter, a former royal press officer.
So, in theory, the Queen can fund any marriage she chooses, regardless of her succession path.
But in reality, Mr. Arbiter says that it is limited to his children and grandchildren.
Each year, the royal family draws some of the money from the annual sovereign grant, worth £ 82 million, paid directly by the Treasury.
Some members of the royal family also benefit from additional income.
For example, Prince Charles derives money from the estate of the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, property and financial investments.
But it is not clear from which "pots" the palace will choose to finance the wedding of Princess Eugenie.
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