For what seems like an eternity, you haven't been able to read a news site without endless stories about the royal wedding. I wouldn't say I hate the royal family, I'm probably more indifferent to them although the fact I'm taking the time to write a blog post about them might suggest otherwise. It is the incessant nature with which it has been covered that has meant I've failed to escape something I might otherwise ignore. However, what made me want to write about who is paying for the royal wedding is the debates I've seen on social media. I've seen a few people posting their disgust at their tax money being spent on the royal wedding whilst others gallantly jump to the defence of the super wealthy groom by claiming the wedding will pay for itself via an increase in money from tourism following the media frenzy. On a side note, do people genuinely travel to Britain from abroad to stand outside Buckingham Palace? Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Anyway, not being one to jump to conclusions (except for when I judge every human I ever meet on first impressions) I decided to do some research. So the royal wedding is predicted to cost around £32 million with approximately £30 million being spent on security. Or, if you want a conservative estimate, the security could cost as little as £24 million. So, yes, that £24-30 million will be paid for by the tax payer. Before you judge them, the royal family has kindly agreed to pay for the remaining £2 million themselves. Although, when you consider they currently get £82 million in public funding every two years, it seems a little paltry. BUT what about that huge injection of money into the economy from all that extra tourism money that the royal wedding frenzy will generate? Well, according to 'Euromonitor' (a global market intelligence publisher) the wedding is unlikely to generate an increase in tourist spending.
Of course, the royal family do bring benefits to Britain, largely through tourism. But in response to whether the taxpayer will be paying for the royal wedding? Yes, almost all of it.
