Thatcher funeral cost taxpayers $5.6M

The British government says former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's funeral cost taxpayers 3.6 million pounds ($5.6 million), mostly for security.

 

The bill for the April 17 ceremony includes 2 million pounds for policing by officers who would otherwise have been on other duties, 1.1 million pounds for extra security and 500,000 pounds for the St. Paul's Cathedral service, receptions for dignitaries and the distribution of invitations to more than 2,000 guests.

 

Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Thursday that Thatcher's family was paying the cost of the undertaker and flowers for the funeral. Thatcher, who governed Britain from 1979 to 1990, died April 8 at the age of 87. Some Britons balked at the grand ceremonial funeral with military honors held for a politician whose legacy divides the country.

 

- Sapa