US President Donald Trump made it clear that the United States government won’t pay for the security of the future of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, if they choose to live in the United States in response to reports that the couple has moved to California.
Trump took to Twitter on Sunday and said, “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 US however, the US 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
Prince Harry grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and sixth in line to the British throne married the American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May 2018, in a ceremony watched by millions around the world.
In January the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they they planned to quit as senior royals, and want to seek a “progressive new role” and divide their time between Britain and North America. The split becomes official at the end of March.
“I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option,” Harry said.
The couple lost their right to be called “his and her royal highness” (HRH) much as Harry’s late mother Princess Diana did when she divorced Prince Charles in another family drama that upset the Queen in 1996. They further agreed to repay 163;2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) of taxpayer’s money spent on renovating their Frogmore Cottage home near Windsor Castle.
38-year-old Markle admitted on UK television in October that she “really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip.” But she admitted sadly, “That’s not the point of life.” Harry has also talked about still being haunted by his mother’s death in a 1997 car crash involving a chasing pack of paparazzi.
He and Meghan filed a series of lawsuits against UK media outlets in October a step that outraged the tabloids and renewed debates about the royals’ role in public life. One of these involved a UK paper that published fragments of a private letter Meghan had sent her estranged father Thomas Markle after her Windsor wedding to Harry in May 2018.
Harry and Meghan have been based on Canada’s Vancouver Island since late last year and the Canadian authorities said they would stop paying for the couple’s security once they ceased to be working royals, last month .
Mary-Liz Power, a spokeswoman for Canada’s public safety minister, said in February that “the assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.” Power said that as duke and duchess of Sussex, they have been considered “internationally protected persons” who warranted security measures under international treaty.
According to reports, the couple and their 10-month-old son Archie recently flew to Los Angeles, where Meghan was raised.
(With agency inputs)