The royal wedding, scheduled for Friday, certainly carries a large price tag. While no one is talking about specifics yet in London, as everything is under wraps, estimates have certainly been made about the price of the royal affair. Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding was reported to have cost $17.5 million – and that was in 1981.
Cutting Costs?
In an effort to cut costs and to be sensitive during trying economic times, the royal family has tried to do things in a more down-to-earth way. This includes things like Kate’s arrival at Westminster Abbey which will be in a car rather than in a gilded carriage and other small items.
Certainly, it should also be taken into consideration that the royal family brings in about $800 million each year from tourism, and that the royal wedding is expected to bring in as much as $1.6 billion from tourism, newspapers and memorabilia.
Wedding Price Tag
With that said, here are some of the estimates of what this little affair will cost. The largest expense will be for security, with an estimated $32 million being spent to keep the family safe, according to RadarOnline.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the lost productivity and overtime pay for the national holiday that’s been declared for Friday is estimated to cost $9 billion. The street cleaning alone from the big bash will cost British taxpayers $65,000.
Finally, the wedding dress and flowers are anyone’s guess. The wedding dress price tag has been guessed at anything from $50,000 to $450,000 and the flowers filling both Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace are expected to cost between $320,000 and $800,000.
Certainly, anyway you look at it, this will be a costly affair!
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