Canada to stop paying towards Harry and Meghan's security 'within weeks'

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are transitioning away from royal life
REUTERS
Katy Clifton27 February 2020

Canada will stop paying for security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex within weeks, it has been announced.

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.

It has now emerged the spending will stop within weeks as the couple transition away from royal life before March 31.

A spokeswoman for Public Safety Canada told the Standard the payments would stop "in keeping with their change in status".

Meghan with a security guard in 2018
Getty Images

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.

"The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.”

Harry and Meghan plunged the royal family into a period of crisis last month when they announced they wanted to step back as senior royals and become financially independent.

A summit of senior royals was later convened by the Queen at Sandringham to discuss the issue, with Harry sitting down for talks with his grandmother, father the Prince of Wales and brother the Duke of Cambridge.

It was later announced they would give up royal duties, split their time between Canada and the UK, with the majority spent in North America, no longer be known as HRH, and their lives as working royals would end on March 31.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex 
PA

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.

They are now embarking on a series of final royal engagements before stepping back next month, attending their first joint UK event since "Megxit" to celebrate the achievements of wounded servicemen and women on March 5.

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.​

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