Meghan and Harry offer A-lister bodyguard 7-figure salary to keep an eye on Archie 'all the time': Report
Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are due to be officially relieved of their services as senior royal members on March 31, there is a huge row over who will be taking the responsibility of their security after Megxit as they won't have the royal staff to protect them. However, an insider has now put rest to all the speculations as the person has told New Idea that a Hollywood security firm, popularly known for providing security to A-list celebrities, has been selected for the huge task.
The Sussexes has reportedly hired Kris Herzog from The Bodyguard Group of Beverly Hills for their security and has also offered a seven-figure salary to him. According to the source, Meghan has selected Herzog because of his deep expertise in protecting celebrity children, “including working with the Saudi Royal family”.
In the past, Herzog has provided security to several Hollywood A-listers such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Britney Spears. He is also known for providing bodyguards specially trained for kids, and safety training for children, as well as GPS kidnapping prevention, which the source says, is “vital for Meghan who’s petrified about Archie’s safety”.
“Meghan made it clear she felt targeted and said the money was no object when it came to their security – even if it meant tripling their budget to ensure they had bullet-proof cars, double the amount of staff and former FBI agents monitoring them round-the-clock as well as intelligence agencies investigating their recent threats,” the source told New Idea.
The insider also said that Meghan and Harry are taking extra security measures for their son, Archie, as the 10-month-old will be provided with his own security team keeping an eye on him all the time. “As Archie grows older, he will be taught self-defense and kidnap prevention and survival and escape modes from some of the world’s top experts,” the source added.
Earlier, it has been reported that a petition has been launched demanding that the $25.6 million (£20 million) security bill for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex does not land on the public’s purse after their departure from the Buckingham Palace. The petition received around 5,000 signatures just a day after it was set up. It claimed that Meghan and Harry are "already multi-millionaires in their own right" and that using the taxpayers’ money to fund them and their security is "undemocratic".
A message on the petition site stated, "They have made their choice to step back from Royal duties and to live abroad and travel globally to achieve financial independence. It is, therefore, their own responsibility to provide their own security, not the responsibility of UK taxpayers. Therefore, we the undersigned object to paying for Harry, Meghan and their son's global security costs, and to stop the UK Parliament, House of Commons and the House of Lords, from making any contribution towards them.”
The pair moved to Canada in November 2019 to pursue their commercial careers. Since then, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been guarding them as the Canadian government has a legal obligation to help provide security to globally protected people. However, now they have also announced that they refuse to keep protecting the couple and their son Archie, in keeping with their status change.
