Harry and Meghan will continue to receive security despite Megxit: 'They will be royal family members forever'
In light of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepping down from their royal duties to pursue "financial independence", the public has been wondering what that means to the royal couple's security and most importantly who will be paying for it.
According to Mark Stephens of London’s Howard Kennedy Law Firm, the Duke and Duchess will be receiving diplomatic protection "whether or not they are active members" of the royal family.
PEOPLE reported that Stephens said that the Prince and his wife will be receiving protection owing to their "status as a member of the royal family" and cited the examples of various royal families across the world such as the Dutch royal family, UAE and other middle eastern kingdoms.
He said, “If you take the Dutch royal family for example, where a number of them work — the King is an airline pilot — they still have diplomatic immunity because of their status as a member of the royal family."
"The same is the case in the Middle East — Saudi Arabia or Kuwait or the UAE. So it's perfectly normal. There are no exceptions for Harry and Meghan," he added.
When he was asked the question of who would be paying for the hefty security bills incurred by the royal couple, he explained that it would be coming from the taxpayers, as their security would also involve "intelligence" attached to it.
This is considering Harry is the son of the future king (Prince Charles), and also the brother of the other future king (Prince William), according to the line of succession.
Stephens explained, "If they're covered by either the Canadian or British security services, they will also have the intelligence attached which comes with that. If you employ a private security firm, they won't have the intelligence which is necessary to provide effective close protection."
Taxpayers will have to make peace with the fact that their money would be funding the Duke and Duchess' security, according to Stephens. "So, they (Harry and Meghan) are clearly going to get that."
"Whatever grumblings there may be from people who are concerned about it being paid. It's all being paid for at the moment and it doesn't change by virtue of them stepping back," he added.
He also pointed out, "We pay for the security of ex-politicians and government ministers who have two days in the job, so it is perfectly reasonable for a lifelong member of the royal family to have security. And I think the [UK] government will feel like that."
Stephens's explanation might come as a huge relief for the Canadians, who were worried that their tax money might be routed to the security bills of the royal couple while they are in the country.
A recent Angus Reid survey revealed that 73% of Canadian public felt that Harry and Meghan should pay their own security bills. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) submitted a petition of 80,000 signatures to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office requesting that their tax money not be used for the royal couple’s security bill.
In a press release released by CTF, the director Aaron Wudrick expressed, "Canadians are pleased to welcome the Duke and Duchess to Canada, but have made it crystal clear that taxpayers should not be forced to support them while they are living here."
"The Queen has made clear that British taxpayers will no longer be supporting the Duke and Duchess. Prime Minister Trudeau owes it to ensure Canadian taxpayers receive similar respect," he added.