Canada will stop paying for Prince Harry and Meghan’s security, a few weeks after the country announced that it will take over their security, after they relocated from the United Kingdom to Canada.
Harry and Meghan moved to Canada last month after they decided to step back from royal duties and taxpayers in Canada have since been paying for some of their security costs. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMCP) has protected the couple and their baby Archie since November, the UK Evening Standard reports.
According to the report, a spokeswoman for Public Safety Canada who spoke to the Standard the payments would stop “in keeping with their change in status”.
She said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to re-locate 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.
Harry and Meghan plunged the royal family into a period of the crisis last month when they announced they wanted to step back as senior royals and become financially independent.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s security bill was estimated to be around £1 million annually and given the concerns raised by some section of Canadians, and the move by the Queen to strip the Duke and Duchess of their Royal titles, with also Harry dropping the ‘Prince’ title, could have led to Prime Minister Trudeau having a second thought on the whole security arrangement. The move had also threatened to damage the status of the Monarchy there.
The Prime Minister privately assured the Queen that Harry, Meghan and Archie’s safety will not be jeopardised while they reside in Canada, and this we believe will remain so, even with this latest development.
The Governor-General, who represents the Queen in Canada, is protected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and as a prince of the realm of Canada. Harry and his family have been enjoying the same protection by the same team of guards.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex had explained that they wanted to step back from senior Royal duties, seek financial independence and spend much of their time in North America. They have since carried out their plans, and are already in the last phase of finally, separating themselves from the Royal family.
The duke ushered in his new future status on Wednesday when he told travel industry delegates attending an Edinburgh conference about his sustainable travel project to simply call him Harry.
Harry and Meghan will attend the annual Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House in London on March 5 to honour sick and injured military who have taken part in sporting and adventure challenges over the past year.
The Endeavour Fund event will be the first of a series of royal engagements that are likely to be among the couple’s last major engagements in the country as working royals.