Kate and William's US visit to Boston cost $170,000
William and Kate’s visit to the US last year for the Earthshot Prize award ceremony cost host city Boston $170,000 (£140,000), it has been reported.
The event last December was one of the highlights of the Prince of Wales’s official calendar and was dubbed the future King’s “Super Bowl” moment.
The ceremony was a star-studded affair that took place on the final day of the three-day tour, but it was largely overshadowed by controversy surrounding Prince William's godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, and the release of a trailer for Harry and Meghan's controversial Netflix documentary.
Now, the Boston Herald has reported that the total cost of the visit came in at a cool $170,407.52.
Most of these costs went on the extra policing required for a royal visit, totalling $105,267.57.
A further $58,772.92 was spent on "staging, tents, flowers, lights, etc" for the events the Prince and Princess of Wales attended.
Around $5,000 was spent on security and custodial overtime and the rest was reportedly made up with the staff costs for the emergency medical services needed.
The primary focus of their trip to Boston was the award ceremony for the Earthshot Prize — an initiative set up by William in 2020 to find solutions to the climate crisis through innovative technologies.
Upon their arrival in Boston, the spokesperson for the Prince of Wales was forced to immediately address the controversy surrounding William's godmother, who had asked a charity executive — Ngozi Fulani — repeatedly where she was "really from" during a reception at Buckingham Palace.
Hussey immediately stepped down from her voluntary role as Lady of the Household, after decades of working as the late Queen's lady-in-waiting.
William's spokesperson said: "Finally - I want to address the story relating to a guest attending a reception at Buckingham Palace last night. This is a matter for Buckingham Palace but as the Prince of Wales spokesperson I appreciate you're all here and understand you'll want to ask about it. So let me address it head on.
"I was really disappointed to hear about the guests' experience at Buckingham Palace last night. Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society.
"The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect."
A trailer promoting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix docuseries was released on Thursday, with the timing interpreted by some royal commentators as a snub to William and Kate.
William also met president Biden whilst he was in Boston after a tour of the John F Kennedy Presidential Library — Kennedy's "moonshot" speech in 1961 has acted as an inspiration for the Prince of Wales when creating the Earthshot Prize.
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