Lion and Princess Royal had been ordered before the August 1909 conference decision on Australia and New Zealand. The August entries in the comparison table represent that decision, rather than the later formal ship orders. This left the Dominions able to select a contemporary Lion design. At roughly £2.1 million for a Lion, £1.779 million for New Zealand, and £2 million for Australia, the quoted all-up differences were about £320,000 and £100,000. Those remained substantial sums, but they left a real choice between cost and capability.
Chapter · 26:24-29:33
Capital-ship ordering dates and all-up costs
The 1909 ordering sequence shows that the Dominion ships could have joined the Lion program without waiting for a later design generation.