UK may ‘strike deal’ on huge security bill
BRITISH taxpayers may be required to contribute to the multi-million pound security bill for the Sussexes even after they stop using their HRH titles, experts warned last night.
Although a deal has been struck following days of discussions at Sandringham, the question of who will pay for Harry and Meghan’s security when they split their time between the UK and Canada has yet to be answered.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau suggested his country would pay some of the expense – but a poll last week found that 73 per cent of Canadians do not want their government to pick up the bill.
Currently, Canada covers royal security costs on official visits when Scotland Yard close protection teams also travel. Under the Canadian criminal code, an internationally protected person (IPP) who requires state-funded security is defined as ‘a head of state’ or member of their family.
It is likely that Meghan and Harry will lose that IPP status under Canadian law. Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, Joe Balz, who now works for private firm Sentinel Security Plus, said: ‘If the royal couple were to step away from their responsibilities and status as royals, this section of the Criminal Code clearly would indicate they would have no IPP status in Canada.
‘The government may feel we’re going to have to give them some type of protection, but there’s no guarantee.’ Another former officer, Larry Busch, who has also protected the royals, predicted Canada would have to agree to a ‘costsharing’ agreement with the UK.
Mr Busch, who runs his own firm, Strategic Security, estimated that the couple would need a protection team of 24 RCMP officers at an annual cost of £1.2million. ‘We don’t want any of the royals injured or embarrassed while they are here so it behoves us to apply the proper level of security.
‘Hollywood people get security provided by private companies. Politicians will get security provided by police officers and that would be the case here.’
Scotland Yard already had to nearly double its flight budget last year to cover the escalating cost of protecting the globe-trotting royals on official visits and holidays.
Taxpayers faced a £4.6million bill for officers’ flights in the year to March 31, 2019, almost double the £2.5million in 2016.
The police already struggle to train enough specialist officers to cope with increasing royal security demands.
Despite the Home Office recommending a 20 per cent rise in Scotland Yard bodyguards in 2017, the force said it had found it ‘extremely difficult’ to obtain the necessary training courses, adding that maintaining security has meant a ‘reliance on overtime’.