Prince Charles' 11-day visit to Canada in early November cost Canadian taxpayers $2.57 million, Sun Media has learned.
Government documents obtained under the Access to Information Act found that hotel costs for the prince, the Duchess of Cornwall, and their aides was $135,000. A website for the visit alone had a price tag of $40,000, and a whopping $630,000 to pay the support staff. The Prince of Wales also used Canadian armed forces planes to travel to four provinces, as well as the flights to and from Britain.
The same documents estimate that next year's planned June 28 to July 6 visit to Canada by the Queen will cost Canadian taxpayers $3.6 million. The opposition questions the need for such visits amid the current economic situation.
The royal price tag will no doubt add fuel to the sleepy debate on the relevance of the monarchy in Canada, especially since a poll held ahead of the prince's visit revealed his unpopularity, as well as that of the institution.
Under rules agreed between Britain and Commonwealth countries, the host nation pays for the trip in countries where the Queen is head of state. Since Charles is the future King of Canada, the Government does not treat him as a foreign dignitary, but rather as any Canadian official.
Comments
a waste of money!
It's not like he did anything important during his trip to warrant such an expense.
I want to see this $40 000 website.
I tried looking for it but had no luck. It's possible that they already took it down.
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