The Spectator

Who had the most highly attended state funeral?

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issue 24 September 2022

The namesakes

Some of history’s other Charles IIIs:

– Charles III, King of Naples (1382-86): forced Pope Urban VI into exile, then moved to Hungary, whose throne he had assumed through marriage. Was assassinated.

– Charles III, King of Navarre (1387-1425): made peace with France.

– Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1504-53): lost when France invaded Savoy in 1536. Remained king in name but spent the rest
of his life in exile.

– Charles III, Duke of Bourbon (1505-21): tried to regain independence from France by partitioning the kingdom. Fled to Italy when the plot was discovered.

– Charles III, King of Spain (1759-88): invaded the Kingdom of Naples and claimed it for Spain.

– Charles III, Duke of Parma (1849-54): placed Parma under martial law. Was assassinated.

Death by numbers

Who has had the most highly attended state funeral? Some estimates for numbers who physically attended service or procession:

– Duke of Wellington (1852): 1.5 million

– Victor Hugo (1885): 2 million

– Ayrton Senna (1994): 3 million

– John Paul II (2005): 4 million

– Ayatollah Khomeini (1989): 10 million

– C.N. Annadurai, chief minister of Tamil Nadu in southern India (1969): 15 million

In hock

Some countries that have a larger national debt than Britain’s (% of GDP):

Japan 263.1%

Greece 189.3%

Italy 152.6%

US 132.6%

Spain 117.7%

France 114.4%

Canada 112.1%

Belgium 107.9%

UK 99.6%

Power points

Which countries currently have the highest and lowest retail electricity prices? (US cents per kWh)

Highest

Germany 39

Bermuda 38

Denmark 34

Portugal 32

Belgium 32

Cayman Islands 31

Lowest

Sudan, Venezuela, Iran 0.8

Ethiopia, Kyrgyztan, Cuba, Libya, Zimbabwe 1

Bhutan, Angola, Suriname 2

Source: electricrate.com

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