King Charles III's three-day visit to Canada cost taxpayers at least $1.4 million
Share
King Charles III's three-day 2022 Royal Tour of Canada cost Canadian taxpayers at least $1.4 million, according to documents obtained by CTVNews.ca.
The whirlwind May 17 to 19 trip saw the then- Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visit Newfoundland, Ontario and Northwest Territories over approximately 57 hours, at a cost of more than $25,000 per hour.
The $1.4 million does not include government, military and police salaries, or normal operational costs, which would make the true bill higher. It also does not include costs covered by local governments and police forces.
It does include overtime, fleets of vehicles, VIP flights and armed security paid for by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department of National Defence and Canadian Heritage, the federal department that oversaw the trip and its planning.
"This is the nature of being a monarchy," CTV News royal commentator Richard Berthelsen said. "You have a royal family that are going to travel, and they are going to do so at the expense of the government."
The figures are based on a pair of access to information requests filed with Canadian Heritage, as well as data provided by the Department of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other government departments and agencies. The Canadian Heritage figures should be considered preliminary, and are very likely to increase when official data is released in March 2023.
"The accounting process for the 2022 Royal Tour is still ongoing," a Canadian Heritage spokesperson told CTVNews.ca. "For all Royal Tours, costs are shared between federal and provincial/territorial governments, based on the duration and the number of events taking place in each region."
Charles III became King and Camilla became Queen Consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, 2022. Their May 2022 visit to Canada was meant to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee, which marked a historic 70 years on the throne.
National Defence footed the bill for Charles III and Camilla's air transportation to, from and within Canada aboard what's commonly known as Can Force One: the bedroom-equipped VIP Airbus CC-150 Polaris jet that frequently shuttles the prime minister and dignitaries overseas. In total, the trip would have covered over 12,000 kilometres.
According to a National Defence spokesperson, the $568,000 is approximate and includes the costs of flying the plane "and associated support services to transport members of the Royal Family, along with personnel for the Royal Tour as identified by Canadian Heritage." Approximately 450 Canadian Armed Forces personnel participated, including roughly 100 who supported air transportation and at least 100 for the honour guard at a May 17 welcoming ceremony in St. John's, N.L.
The RCMP was primarily tasked with security. Outside of salaries, the RCMP spent $172,175 on overtime and $189,156 on travel expenditures like meals, accommodation and transportation for a total of $361,331. An RCMP spokesperson said additional costs may still be processed.
According to two access to information requests filed by CTVNews.ca, the more than $509,714 spent by Canadian Heritage included at least $221,634 on travel and hospitality costs like flights, accommodation, meals and per diems; more than $11,453 on fleets of rental cars, taxis and buses; more than $11,496 in overtime for just three employees; $6,404 in fees to Ottawa's historic Lord Elgin Hotel; at least $5,287 for scores of COVID-19 rapid tests; $3,550 for image copyrights; $2,945 for printing services; and other costs like flowers, medical personal protective equipment, "VIP Agency Services" and gifts. Canadian Heritage also footed the hospitality bill for 20 to 30 members of the British delegation, who included staff from Clarence House, which is King Charles III's London residence. A breakdown of the preliminary Canadian Heritage costs can be found at the bottom of this article.
"It is customary for hospitality costs, including those for Clarence House staff, to be assumed by the host country," an April 2022 memo prepared for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez states. "As the lead federal department for the planning and delivery of the 2022 Royal Tour, the Department of Canadian Heritage will assume hospitality costs."
Canadian Heritage also covered $140,685.64 in costs from Public Services and Procurement Canada, which included overtime for 20 employees, and $35,718.91 from the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, which went towards planning work, accommodation and meals for royal visitors and support staff, and a reception at Rideau Hall, which is home to the Governor General, the monarch's appointed representative in Canada.
Berthelsen, who has been a CTV News royal commentator since 2009, has worked for four governors general and provincial lieutenant governors, and has participated in organizing Royal Tours and ceremonies across Canada since 1978.
"It is consistent with how much visits of this kind cost, and it's also consistent with the costs of visits by the governor general or the prime minister abroad," Berthelsen explained. "There were probably about 30 to 35 events or more in that trip, many of them dealing with reconciliation, many of them dealing with other issues like the environment, like the different charitable activities of the Prince."
Additional costs were likely absorbed by other departments, police forces and levels of government.
In statements to CTVNews.ca, the Ontario government and the cities of Ottawa, Yellowknife and St. John's reported incurring no costs due to the 2022 Royal Tour. The governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Northwest Territories said numbers are not yet finalized. Ottawa Police Service and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary did not respond to requests for comment, and Ontario Provincial Police stated figures would only be released through a freedom of information request. The National Capital Commission, a Crown corporation that oversees federal properties in and around Ottawa, reported spending $283.40 on audio-visual services for an event at Rideau Hall. The $1.4 million also does not include costs covered by British taxpayers.
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's last Royal Tour of Canada, which spanned three days in the summer of 2017, cost Canadian Heritage $487,660. Since 2010, there have been eight official Royal Tours to Canada by members of Royal Family, which have come at a price of more than $7 million to Canadian Heritage alone. The late Queen Elizabeth II's final nine-day visit to Canada in 2010 was the most expensive of all, costing Canadian Heritage at least $2.79 million.
Visits like these represent just a fraction of what Canada's ties to the throne cost Canadian taxpayers each year.
According to the Monarchist League of Canada, our constitutional monarchy cost the government almost $58.75 million in just the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, which includes costs associated with operating the Governor General's Office, their overseas trips, the salaries and expenses of provincial lieutenant governors, and royal tours. That's approximately $1.55 per Canadian a year – slightly below the nearly $2.10 the Crown costs each citizen of the U.K.
The Monarchist League of Canada believes that represents good value for Canadians.
"The Queen and now the King, together with members of their Family, do not come to Canada to benefit Britain or indeed any of the other Commonwealth Realms," the league's dominion chairman, Robert Finch, told CTVNews.ca. "The purpose of these homecomings is to highlight Canadians, their achievements, yes – their challenges and problems being worked on – and to celebrate important events in the life of the nation."
The Monarchist League of Canada was recently awarded a $187,500 grant from Canadian Heritage to distribute 70,000 educational booklets to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee this year. Finch explains that all Royal Tours come on invitation of the host nation, and that there are also many private visits, such as by members with hospital patronages or honorary military ranks. He describes Canadians' relationship and attitude to the monarchy as "deep and abiding."
"Canada’s polity is one of democratic institutions and freedom under the Crown," Finch said. "To change that polity would demand the unanimous agreement of the ten provincial legislatures and Parliament – and the complexity would not merely centre on why such a change should be made, but what new institution would replace it, and be demonstrably better."
Tom Freda, director of the Citizens for a Canadian Republic advocacy group, believes that Canadian support the monarchy is "declining," partially because of the large costs of hosting visiting royals.
"We don't see much purpose at all, really," Freda told CTVNews.ca. "Obviously, state visits in general are a necessary part of international relations and diplomacy. As a host country, we cover the costs of all visiting dignitaries."
The group, which wants to replace the British monarch with a Canadian head of state, has used access to information requests to uncover data on the costs of past Royal Tours.
"Canada does seem to go overboard on royal visits," Freda said. "Near as we can tell, they're designed to bolster support for the royals (ironically, it does the opposite by raising attention to their presence and the cost), and to allow political and business elites the opportunity to socialize with royalty."
Obtained through two access to information requests, the above documents outline costs incurred by Canadian Heritage during King Charles III's 2022 Royal Tour of Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Crown counsel was unable to approve "significant" drug and weapons charges stemming from an arrest in Quesnel, B.C., last year because the officers involved "refused to provide any evidence," according to a report from the province’s police watchdog.
The Ontario government says it will be raising the speed limit along certain stretches of provincial highways soon, including Highway 401 and Highway 403.
New condo sales in the Toronto region dropped to the lowest quarterly total since the financial crisis in 2009 amid high interest rates and affordability issues, a new report has found.
Officers with Southern Alberta’s district crime reduction unit were investigating property crime in Mountain View County when they recovered a substantial amount of it.
The National Capital Commission has purchased the old Dunnderosa Golf Course in Chelsea, Que., as part of its plan to acquire private properties in Gatineau Park.
Councillors have approved a motion that would study the possibility of an anti-renovictions bylaw, which tenant advocates say would help to prevent frivolous evictions.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
The Quebec government has awarded the organization that manages Montreal's Olympic Stadium up to $40 million to pay for repairs and decontamination after a March 21 fire.
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
A funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon in Bedford, N.S., for a 16-year-old boy who died earlier this week following an incident near the Halifax Shopping Centre.
A throwing star and crossbow were among the seizures by police as part of a drug trafficking investigation on George Gordon First Nation and in Punnichy, Sask. last week.
Saskatchewan police caught 454 impaired drivers around the province in March. Of those, 142 are facing Criminal Code charges and the other 312 faced licence suspensions, according to a news release from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
A Saskatchewan woman who was taken for an involuntary mental health assessment is entitled to find out who had her committed, a provincial court judge has ruled.
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
The speed you travel on sections of 400 series highways in our region is increasing. The province says it will raise the speed limit to 110 km/h on multiple sections, including some in the London region.
The London Knights went out in the offseason and acquired the goaltender they believed could lead them to a championship. So far, so good as Michael Simpson is a perfect 8-0 in the post season.
U.S. Marshals joins search for Deshawn Davis, one of Canada’s most wanted, accused of the kidnapping of Elnaz Hajtamiri in Wasaga Beach January 2022 and the suspect in a nightclub shooting that took place in May of last year.
It was mid-October 2018 when Eric Spencer was last seen in Honey Harbour, a full-scale search by the OPP for the then 60-year-old from Thornbury scaled back when the search came up empty.
If musicians are the sole focus of a commercial event, those performers should be paid for their efforts. That's according to a local musician who set up an online petition after the Town of Essex issued a call for artists to perform at their annual summer concert series for free.
A member of the Brothers Keepers gang in British Columbia, which police describe as an 'extremely violent organized crime group,' has been sentenced to 11 years in prison on drug-trafficking charges.
To appreciate the two posters hanging in Stephen Campanelli’s laundry room, which he’s had for more than 40 years, you need to know he’s been a Clint Eastwood fan for even longer.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
Wildfires in Alberta and B.C. appear to be getting off to an early start this year. Both province's wildfire services are doing what they can to prepare for what's expected to be a tough summer.
The Ontario Provincial Police, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, have charged a suspect with murder following a homicide in a remote northwestern Ontario community.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says two people were found dead and four others survived after a boat capsized off the west coast of Newfoundland.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but his own government will continue to look out for Canadians' security.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday that the Canada Revenue Agency is 'very, very good' at getting the money it's owed.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it had found bird flu virus particles in some samples of pasteurized milk, but said commercial milk supply remains safe.
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. while his campaign has embraced the platform and tried to work with influencers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but his own government will continue to look out for Canadians' security.
It's a midweek lunchtime on an unassuming residential street in Vauxhall, south London. There aren't many people about – the occasional dog walker, a few runners, a couple of delivery drivers. I'’s pretty much what you’d expect on a drizzly work day.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Blink and you'll miss the new trailer for director Zoe Kravitz's upcoming thriller starring Channing Tatum. Kravitz unveiled the first trailer for 'Blink Twice,' her directorial debut, on Tuesday and it’s every bit as creepy as the title sounds.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
The hugely popular Chinese app TikTok may be forced out of the U.S., where a measure to outlaw the video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to U.S. President Biden for his signature. In India, the app was banned nearly four years ago.
British competition regulators said Wednesday they'll scrutinize recent artificial intelligence deals by Microsoft and Amazon over concerns that the moves could thwart competition in the AI industry.
A portrait of a young woman by Gustav Klimt that was long believed to be lost was sold at an auction in Vienna on Wednesday for 30 million euros (US$32 million).
Canada's Denis Shapovalov advanced to the second round of the Madrid Open tennis tournament with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta on Wednesday.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
Josef Newgarden’s win in IndyCar’s season-opening race at St. Petersburg was disqualified Wednesday because Team Penske manipulated its push-to-pass system during the race, making Pato O’Ward the winner.