President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that the United States taxpayers won’t be paying the security bill for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The couple is reportedly set to move to Los Angeles after a brief time in Canada to get away from the United Kingdom. Prince Harry, whose name is Harry David, and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties in January. Their independence formally begins Tuesday. The decision means they no longer have the financial backing of the monarchy in England, which receives funding from the Sovereign Grant.
“I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter. “It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!”
I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020
A spokesman for the couple responded to say they have “no plans to ask the U.S. government for security resources,” and have arranged for private security detail, the Evening Standard reported.
Harry and Meghan plan to split their time between living in the United States and the United Kingdom.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity,” they said in a January statement on Instagram.
The Canadian government also said it would no longer pay for the couple’s security detail at the end of February, after they stepped down from their royal duties. They began spending time in Canada in November.
“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,” a statement to Canadian Broadcast Corporation said. “The [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] RCMP has been engaged with officials in the U.K. from the very beginning regarding security considerations.”
“As the Duke and Duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis,” the statement continued. “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.”
