What it really costs to guard Sussexes

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security team in Canada was made up of at least six £60,000-ayear Scotland Yard protection officers.

But experts say the true cost of each officer would have been closer to £100,000 a year when taking into consideration overtime, flights back and forth to the UK, pension contributions and living expenses.

The couple spent more than three months in Canada before moving to California in March 2020 when they are reported to have hired top-of-therange security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA), used by A-listers including Jeff Bezos, Tom Hanks and Madonna.

The team from GDBA – described as a ‘secret service for famous people’ – is rumoured to cost about £7,000 per day, or £2.5million a year. Harry and Meghan are likely to have been provided a team of six bodyguards, which could include former intelligence officers from the FBI and CIA, who work in rotation, with four on duty by day and two at night.

The couple’s American security would have no jurisdiction in the UK or access to intelligence information.