Research by local Republic activists has uncovered at least nine instances of police forces spending £1 million on sending officers to London for the Coronation.

Freedom of Information requests have been submitted to numerous police services and local authorities. Replies from multiple police forces around the country indicate the huge drain on already stretched local police services caused by Charles’s coronation.

Speaking for Republic, CEO Graham Smith said:

“Charles should be paying for his own pointless parade. Instead, we find that police services across the country were told to sacrifice scarce resources for his coronation.”

“More local activists are pursuing police services and other public bodies around the country, trying to piece together the total cost of the coronation to the hard-pressed taxpayer. During a cost-of-living crisis and when Charles is avoiding huge tax bills, why are ordinary people being asked to pay for royal parades?”

“These groups took the initiative and uncovered these instances of reckless and irresponsible spending on the Coronation. It’s no surprise they’re angry about the waste of local funds. Suffolk Constabulary spent £215,000 on the coronation, enough to give 459 of the county’s schoolchildren free school meals for a year.*”

“We’re still waiting to hear from other police forces, such as Sussex and Thames Valley, who have yet to reply to local FOI requests. The total bill is likely to run into many millions of pounds.”

“Charles could have covered the cost of the Coronation from his own un-taxed personal wealth. Instead, he allowed money to be diverted from vital local services during a cost-of-living crisis. The monarchy is bad for our democracy, it’s also bad for our pockets.”

FOI requests from Local Groups are viewable here.

*Source: Big Issue, 2023