How much did Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cost?

The Royal Family has, understandably, refused to discuss publicly the cost they incurred for the wedding, which were met jointly with Catherine's parents, Mr and Mrs Michael Middleton, and covered all the 'normal' wedding costs that any family would incur: the hire of the church, the wedding cars, the flowers, the dresses and the reception. They did of course have the benefit of owning the main reception venue, Buckingham Palace and the fleet of carriages with horses.

Estimates from the Metropolitan Police put security costs at £7 million. The department of Media, Culture and Sport spent a further £4m on decorating the route to and from Westminster Abbey, although final figures show that this expense was more than offset by the distribution rights levied by that same Department on UK and overseas TV companies. It is believed that in the year 2011, wedding-related tourism generated £4 billion.

Furthermore, £107m was estimated to have been spent by visitors to London that weekend, and a further £400m by people across the country on parties, whereas in the coming year (2012), the boost to tourism generated by the aftermath of the wedding and, more especially, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is expected to be worth a further £6 billion. (UK government department cumulative estimates). Clearly, pageantry, which Britain does so well, generates revenue that far exceeds the costs involved.