Funerals aren't cheap. From paying undertakers to buying a burial plot – not forgetting the wake – the average cost of a funeral in the US is a hefty $9,420 (£8.7k) according to insurance agency Choice Mutual. But as you'd expect, for the richest in society, a funeral reflects how they lived and can cost millions.

From pop royalty to the British monarchy, read on to find out some of the most expensive funerals ever in today's money – including the recent state funerals of Queen Elizabeth II and Japanese leader Shinzo Abe.