Policing the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could cost as much as £6m, according to estimates based on new figures relating to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day in 2011.
Figures obtained by the Press Association through several Freedom of Information requests show that, in total, £6.35m was spent policing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding.
Next month’s wedding of Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle is expected to be on a smaller scale – but with a similar price tag.
Thames Valley Police are preparing for around 100,000 spectators in what will be one of the force’s largest-ever security operations.
Reinforcements have been drafted in from other police forces, including the Metropolitan Police.
Anti-monarchy campaigner Graham Smith argues that the costs should be covered by the Royals themselves and not paid for by the public.
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A previous estimate for the total cost of the security put forward by the Met Police in 2011 placed the figure higher at around £7.2m.
Policing expert Graham Wettone thinks the tab will run up to nearly as much as the 2011 Royal wedding. He said costs have gone up since then and the threat from terrorism is just as serious.
He said: “The police will have been planning this already for months. We’re already at probably a million or two into the costs of the operation before we even get to the day itself.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said costs for the police operation and any additional infrastructure will be shared between the force and the local council, but that any opportunity to recover costs from the Home Office at a later date will of course be explored.
Then, of course, there are the intangible benefits of having a national ceremony like this broadcast to hundreds of millions around the world. It’s estimated, for example, that William and Kate’s big day was viewed by two billion people worldwide.