Exiting royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have hit another roadblock. Canada will no longer be footing the bill for the couple’s pricey security fees.
According to a Daily Mail report published Thursday, Canada revealed this week that they will no longer be paying for Harry and Meghan’s security fees once the duo officially drop their royal duties at the end of March.
“In what will be seen as a humiliation for the couple, the Mounties said they would no longer pay for their security after March 31,” the British outlet reports.
Canada’s announcement, in effect, confirmed the country’s financial assistance for the royals since November.
The Daily Mail suggests that the British people might be the ones on the hook for the fees via taxation, despite the couple renouncing their royal roles. “This means the cost of round-the-clock protection for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and baby son Archie — which could run to millions of pounds — will fall on UK taxpayers,” the outlet notes.
The news comes on the heels of Harry and Meghan being banned from using the word “royal” in their branding — a directive handed down from Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
“Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed,” The Daily Mail reported. “They have also sought to register Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a range of items and activities, including clothing, stationery, books and teaching materials.”
The couple, who announced their split from royal life in January, will now have to change their Instagram, website, and charity name, it seems.
This week, the couple updated their website addressing the “royal” ban.
“While there is not any jurisdiction by the monarchy over the use of the word ‘royal’ overseas,” Harry and Meghan said, “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use any iteration of the word ‘royal’ in any territory.”
Roya Nikkhah, royal correspondent for The Sunday Times, found the statement from the couple “a bit petulant,” according to a CBS News report.
“It was almost a little bit petulant,” said Nikkhah, noting that the couple was in effect saying: “We’re doing this. We don’t have to do this but we’re doing this.”
In January, Harry and Meghan dropped the shocking bombshell on the Queen that they would be leaving behind their royal duties and working to become financially independent. About a week after the announcement, her majesty financially cut off the couple and stripped them of their titles.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” the Queen said in a statement, adding that she “support[s] their wish for a more independent life.”
“I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family,” the statement continued.
“It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life,” the Queen closed.