HARRY AND MEGHAN
Canada won't pay for security bill
TAXPAYERS look set to foot the £20million bill for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s life abroad after the Canadian government refused to pay from March 31.
Scotland Yard officers protecting Harry and Meghan have been receiving assistance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
But that help will end when they quit their official royal roles at the end of March because they will no longer be legally recognised as Internationally Protected Persons.
In a statement Canada’s Office of the Minister of Public Safety said:
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and 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.”
Buckingham Palace and the Metropolitan Police have refused to discuss who will now pay for the couple’s security as they split their life between Britain and a £11.4million oceanfront home on Vancouver Island.
In a statement last week the Sussexes implied it would be UK taxpayers despite fears that the bill could soar to £20million.
They said: “It is agreed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son. This is based on the Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into the Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’s own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years.” Home Secretary Priti Patel will make the final decision, based on advice from the Met, MI5 and MI6 among others.
The Daily Express understands that the question of whether the taxpayer picks up all or some of the bill has not yet been settled.
Harry and Meghan have been made to feel welcome by many Canadians but only about one in five is happy to pay for their security, according to opinion polls.
One earlier this month found that 77 per cent of Canadians questioned were opposed to paying for their protection.
Popular
The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation delivered a petition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office with 80,000 signatures from people insisting that public money should not be spent on them.
In Australia too there are signs that, while the younger royals are popular, taxpayers there are unhappy about paying for them, the usual practice as the Queen is head of state there, as in Canada.
A poll yesterday found 66 per cent of people were opposed to Australian taxpayers footing the bill for them on a proposed tour of bushfire-hit regions.