Royal wedding security cost remains mystery to police

POLICE have admitted they still do not know how much it cost to provide security for the royal wedding.

While the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk in July was a private ceremony, the number of royal family members in attendance, including the Queen, meant Lothian and Borders Police had to provide a “significant” security operation.

This included providing a number of officers to patrol the grounds of the church in the days leading up to the ceremony on July 30, as well as securing the rehearsal, a reception at the Royal Yacht Britannia, and on the day of the wedding itself when thousands of people lined the Royal Mile to congratulate the couple.

In a report going before the police board on Monday, it was revealed that the full cost of Operation Opal was still not known, although chief constable David Strang pointed out that a dedicated planning team was appointed with the “key objective” of controlling any additional financial burden.