Mounties: We won’t protect Harry and Meghan

CANADA has now refused to keep guarding Harry and Meghan when they step down as working royals.

In what will be seen as a humiliation for the couple, the Mounties said they would no longer pay for their security after March 31.

This means the cost of roundthe-clock protection for the duke and duchess of Sussex and baby son Archie, which could run to millions of pounds, will fall on UK taxpayers.

It is the first time Canada has confirmed it has been helping to guard them since they settled on Vancouver Island in November.

Canada has a legal obligation to provide security to so-called internationally protected persons. The couple arrived there on a temporary visit in November as full working royals and the Mounties gave them protection with Canadian taxpayers picking up the bill.

But now Harry and Meghan intend to live in North America to pursue lucrative commercial careers and will quit as senior working royals on March 31.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said: “The duke and duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with an unprecedented set of circumstances.

“The RCMP has been engaged with officials in the UK from the very beginning regarding security considerations. As the duke and duchess are currently recognised as internationally protected persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis.

“At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the

Met since the arrival of the duke and duchess to Canada intermittently since November 2019. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.”

The decision puts the globe-trotting duo in a potentially explosive predicament and last Friday, when they updated their website, they were adamant they were legally entitled to yearround protection. |