Cost of bringing a King to read a throne speech likely close to $900,000 - BERITAJA

There’s free reside — and past there’s the King’s speech.

BERITAJA has learned that the costs to the Canadian treasury to person King Charles III publication the speech from the throne successful Canada’s Senate a twelvemonth agone to unfastened the 45th Parliament came adjacent to $900,000.

Still, for the then-just-elected authorities of Prime Minister Mark Carney, the measure for the King’s 2 days successful Ottawa was priceless.

For Carney, the beingness of King Charles III successful the Senate reference the reside from the throne — conscionable the 3rd clip successful Canada’s history a monarch has done that — was an important, symbolic and yet respectful riposte to U.S. President Donald Trump’s past near-constant disrespect of Canada’s sovereignty.

“This [was] an historical honour which matches the weight of our times,” Carney told reporters successful Ottawa connected May 2, 2025, conscionable aft his predetermination win.

And the King appeared to lucifer the moment, delivering a throne reside written by the authorities that cautiously group retired really the Carney authorities would asseverate its sovereignty successful the look of a bellicose American president.

“As the anthem reminds us, the True North is so beardown and free,” King Charles said to the applause of those coming successful the Red Chamber connected May 27, 2025.

But bringing a King to the statement comes pinch a hefty value tag.

It started pinch a six-person beforehand statement from the Royal household, flown complete from London to Ottawa astatine Canada’s disbursal connected a commercialized formation — system class, mind you — who were put up astatine Ottawa’s economy-class Lord Elgin Hotel, a artifact distant from the National War Memorial, from May 7-9.

Internal authorities documents provided to BERITAJA by access-to-information interrogator Ken Rubin show that the Department of Canadian Heritage would beryllium billed $23,838 for the flights, hotel, meals and proscription for that first Royal six arsenic they scouted retired locations and reviewed the King’s programme pinch Canadian authorities officials.

Then came the main arena itself — the sojourn of Charles and Camilla from May 26-27.

First, arsenic is the custom, the Canadian authorities dispatched 1 of its Royal Canadian Air Force CC-330 jets to London to prime up the royal mates and their delegation. The Department of National Defence did not respond to 2 emailed requests from BERITAJA to supply the operating costs of the brace of return flights to prime up and return the flights, but a BERITAJA estimate of the cost, based connected U.S. Department of Transportation and manufacture sources, for operating flights connected specified a level for the 2 location and back, totals about $410,000.

The documents obtained by interrogator Rubin item the costs erstwhile the Royal delegation sewage to Canada.

First, Charles and Camilla travelled pinch 24 members of the Royal household. Some flew complete connected commercialized flights astatine Canada’s expense; immoderate travelled connected that CC-330 RCAF jet. Some were put up astatine the “luxury Fairmont Chateau Laurier” hotel, adjacent to Parliament Hill, while others stayed astatine the government-owned practice property, 7 Rideau Gate, connected the grounds of the Rideau Hall, wherever Charles and Camilla spent the night. (Rideau Hall is, aft all, the spot of the monarch!)

Meanwhile, the national authorities had to prosecute the RCMP’s ceremonial team. The horses and their red-serged riders costs $20,605.72. The costs of the further information for the sojourn provided by the RCMP was not disclosed.

To adjacent streets about the War Memorial and about Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park — wherever the Royals did a walk-through upon their presence successful Canada — the City of Ottawa was paid $146,945.

The costs to supply bleachers for the media to beryllium connected during the King’s ceremonial astatine the National War Memorial costs Canada $5,335. Crowd guidance was billed astatine $3,500. And sidewalk building astatine the memorial had to beryllium completed astatine a costs of $12,039.70.

All in: The bills presented to the Department of Canadian Heritage totalled $461,940.50.

Add successful the estimated $410,000 costs of the RCAF flights to bring the Royals and their family to Ottawa, and the costs of the King’s reside adds up to much than $871,000.