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£400,000 was budgeted to fund "planned activities" for the Royal visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Jersey last month, it has emerged – covering everything from beefed up security to communications and a tea party for more than 300 people.
The final full cost of the Visit, including any preparatory works, which Express has requested under the Freedom of Information Law, is yet to be confirmed.
However, a Ministerial Decision made public this week showed that the Treasury Minister signed off on releasing up to £400,000 from central coffers to fund the celebrations on Monday 15 July.
According to the Ministerial Decision, the additional funding was required to "meet the costs associated with the organisation of the visit and to fund ceremonial activities to receive Their Majesties and to commemorate the occasion".
The Bailiff’s Chambers received £330,000, and the States of Jersey Police were given a funding boost of up to £70,000.
Video: A three-and-a-half hour live stream was broadcast to cover the duration of the visit.
The largest proportion of the Bailiff’s Chambers' £330,000 was spent on communications to promote the visit.
A total of £100,000 was spent on display and branding of the royal visit, information leading up to the visit, informing the public about Jersey’s links with the Sovereign, and live streaming of the visit in St Helier.
The event was live-streamed for three-and-a-half hours.
Meanwhile, £80,000 was spent on contractors and third parties assisting with the planning and delivery of the visit, including first aid and other providers.
A report accompanying the Ministerial Decision explained that external contractors provide "resilience and expertise that is specific to event management at the anticipated scale of 20,000 people".
Pictured: King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Jersey Expo – an environmentally-focused showcase of the 'best of Jersey'. (Jon Guegan)
A total of £60,000 was set aside to fund infrastructure arrangement including covering seating, sanitation, safety measures, marquees, and road closure signage.
Up to £50,000 was allocated to enable exhibitors to professionally display local produce as part of the Jersey Expo – an environmentally-focused showcase of the 'best of Jersey'.
The funds were set aside to allow the exhibitors to access resources that may not be available to them during usual operation and that can be reused for future events.
Transport and logistics for the visit – including parish transport and logistics for infrastructure – cost a total of £30,000.
Pictured: The menu for the afternoon tea, which was enjoyed by 340 guests.
A total of £10,000 was spent on catering for the tea party for up to 340 guests, refreshments for all guests within the secure areas, and refreshment stations for school children.
A further £70,000 was taken from the Central Reserve to allow the States of Jersey Police to fund mutual aid support from off-island, as well as overtime costs for local officers.
The day itself was a public holiday. A report to States Members ahead of their vote on the potential day off explained that the cost for covering shift payments for staff working that day would be around £700,000. This included backfill, overtime, and time off in lieu.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, recently took Express behind the scenes of Operation Turf – the code name for the group which was assembled to manage the once-in-a-generation visit from the monarch to Jersey's shores.
Pictured: Police officers with specialist surveillance and intelligence skills were on loan from the UK for the Royal visit.
He explained that many of the police officers with specialist surveillance and intelligence skills were on loan from the UK.
The National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) provides support to forces which need to temporarily boost its numbers for a significant event – such as a Royal Visit.
"We had a need for firearms officers, specialist dogs, and other extra officers to assist with some of the elements, such as the search effort," he said.
King Charles' last trip to the island was in 2012, when he remained the Prince of Wales.
When details of the cost were requested under the Freedom of Information Law, the Government said it was unable to provide this information.
This was due to its "retention period" policy under which "financial data is only retained for a period of 10 years".
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