Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to LA amid coronavirus outbreak to avoid paying tax in two countries
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved from Canada to the US in a last-minute decision amid the coronavirus outbreak in order to begin their new life in Meghan's hometown LA and insiders have claimed that the reason behind the move was that they did not want to pay tax in two countries. The pair took a private jet to California along with their son, Archie, before the non-essential travel across borders was suspended due to the outbreak.
It has now been reported that tax from earning money and keeping up residences in two countries was the reason behind the move, The Sun reported. A source shared, "Initially Harry and Meghan wanted to be based in a Commonwealth country — Canada — and earn their own money while still performing some royal duties.
"They were told getting work visas in Canada would be difficult and because Meghan remains a US citizen, so is taxed on her worldwide income, she would end up paying in the US and Canada. Then the Canadian government made it clear they would not contribute to their security costs so it made much more sense to live in Hollywood and only pay US tax," the source added.
Harry and Meghan had planned to set up their home in LA where Meghan has a large support system. They are also much closer to their new team of Hollywood agents and PR firms whom they have hired to help them launch their careers.
Their current and exact whereabouts are not really known but it has been reported that they are in lockdown in an exclusive gated community in LA. Experts had shared that 38-year-old Meghan would have to report self-employment income from any sponsored social media post or merchandise sold.
She would also have to pay a 15.3% levy in order to cover the taxes on social security and medicare. She would have also needed to meet disclosure requirements to the US Internal Revenue Service on foreign bank accounts.
We had previously reported that a friend of Meghan and Harry's had shared that the couple had been on the lookout for homes in LA. "Another source had revealed, "Harry is looking straight ahead at his future with his family... They will be spending time in California... He's not looking back," People had shared.
We had also previously reported that Meghan, has her first post-royal life job: narrating a Disney documentary about elephants. Disney announced on March 26 that the duchess is lending her voice to 'Elephant', to be released April 3 on the Disney+ streaming service. It’s an animal and nature-themed series released to mark Earth Month.
The film follows an elephant family on a 1,000-mile (1,600km) journey across the Kalahari Desert. In January, Harry and Meghan had shocked the world when they announced that they were quitting being senior royals. The couple's official duties will end on March 31.
Currently, the royal family is facing a hard time amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Prince Charles testing positive for COVID-19. "The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus," a statement by Clarence House confirmed. "He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual. In accordance with Government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland."