Prince Harry and Meghan Markle address security costs after Trump says US won't pay

US President says 'they must pay'

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry address security costs (Getty)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have responded to President Donald Trump's comments over the cost of their security in the United States after it was reported they had moved to California.

Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose roles as senior members of the royal family will officially come to an end this week, reportedly moved to Los Angeles, where Meghan grew up.

On Sunday, Trump addressed the couple’s move on Twitter, where he said that the country would not be covering the costs of Prince Harry and Meghan’s security.

“I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen and the United Kingdom,” the president said. “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!”

However, according to the duke and duchess, they never planned to ask the US to pay for their security costs.

In a statement shared with the BBC, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The duke and duchess have no plans to ask the US government for security resources. Privately funded security arrangements have been made.”

The duke and duchess announced they will continue to require security despite stepping back from the royal family in January, after reaching an agreement with the rest of the royal family.

At the time, the couple said in a statement shared to their website: “It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son.

“This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years.”

Mr Trump’s announcement came after the Canadian government said it would stop covering the cost of the couple’s security in February, as a result of the duke and duchess’s “change in status”.

According to Canada's Office of the Minister of Public Safety, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMCP) provided protection to Prince Harry, Meghan and their son Archie “intermittently since November 2019”.