Meghan Markle and Prince Harry May Need to Pay $1 Million a Year for Private Security
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed their intention to step back as senior members of the royal family—and pursue "financial independence"—it raised numerous questions. What's the couple's actual net worth at the moment? What will their living arrangements be like? What kind of work can they pursue, and why do they even want a job so bad in the first place?
One thing that royal watchers can't seem to answer: what will happen to Meghan and Harry's publicly-funded security? The Sussexes' website—which itself was made without the sign-off of the Queen, and therefore not definitive—offers limited information on this topic. Only one question in the site's "funding" section addresses the matter, and it offers this short explanation:
The provision of armed security by The Metropolitan Police is mandated by the Home Office, a ministerial department of Her Majesty’s Government, responsible for security and law & order. As stated on gov.uk, "No breakdown of security costs is available as disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of these arrangements and affect the security of the individuals protected. It is long established policy not to comment upon the protective security arrangements and their related costs for members of the Royal Family or their residences."
On Friday, an ITV News reporter tweeted that the Home Office issued a statement, but it didn't exactly clear anything up. It simply read, "We do not comment on individual security arrangements."
It's possible that the Duke and Duchess will retain their protection by the Met Police. But they could also feel compelled to hire their own private security—especially if they intend to maintain a residence outside the U.K., and scale back their royal appearances.
Which begs the question: what kind of protection would they need, and how much would it cost? T&C spoke to security expert Chris Falkenberg, a former special agent of the United States Secret Service and the founder of Insite Risk Management, about what kind of services high-profile clients like Harry and Meghan would require.
Do you think Harry and Meghan will be able to keep their existing protection?
I think all members of the royal family will always have the benefit of protection from the U.K. government. Even if Harry steps back from his royal duties, there's a certain amount of renown and attention that he and Meghan are going to get by virtue of being members of the family. The general view is: the government is responsible for that, because he didn't wake up one morning and say, "I'd like to be a member of the royal family."
So when they're in the U.K. they will probably have as much security as they want. At a minimum, when [the couple] receive harassing or threatening behavior or communications, they will definitely refer that to the Metropolitan Police or whichever division of the U.K. law enforcement apparatus is best equipped to handle that.
What happens if they live outside Britain?
That's another issue. The Queen receives protection from the Secret Service when she comes to the United States. However, the rest of the royal family, because they're not the head of state, receive protection from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
For short stays in Canada or the U.S., they will get the benefit of security operatives who are assigned to the British embassy and the British consulate. So if they came to New York for a visit, for example, the police department would assign a small number of police officers just to keep an eye on them. If they move to New York, they would not receive a permanent detail.
So the U.S. wouldn't provide permanent security for them if they lived here?
I don't know of any foreign member of a royal family who has full-time protection. The closest parallel is the Saudi royal family, which is quite large. Those parties—with the exception of the most senior members of the family, who get government protection—hire their own protection, drivers, and cars.
For a similar situation—a family of three living between two residences—what type of private protection would you suggest?
Somebody that's high-profile probably needs to have a security presence, certainly at their primary home and maybe their secondary home. At the primary home, that would be a 24-hour position, with three people working eight-hour shifts. That would cost about $2,200 a day.
That security person would be at the residence, deal with any visitors or packages, monitor the alarm system and cameras, and oversee the ins and outs of service people. What we often do when a client has multiple homes—and most of them do—is monitor the remote home from the primary location. So, we can connect our cameras and alarm systems so they can be monitored electronically.
Then you need a security driver. So if you have two adults, you need two drivers. And we usually use an advance agent, who is present at a venue before the protectee arrives. The agent reviews the venue to make sure it's a safe environment, and can be present during the event in order to aid evacuation or to deter any inappropriate conduct. That's usually the package.
So what would that cost just for day-to-day security?
Let's say $570,000 for residential security, $245,000 for a driver, and $150,000 for an advance agent. That doesn't include the cost of the car or the gas or other things. So it's $1 million.
Are there special measures you would suggest for clients who are public officials rather than private citizens?
The techniques we use for private people are not really applicable or helpful for a member of the royal family because they're so public. For our clients, we keep them under the radar.
But when you have someone like the Prince, who has been a public persona since he was born, there's no purpose in trying to hide his address because everyone knows where he lives. There's a certain point where the person you're working with is so well-known and so famous that there's no benefit, because you'll never make the information secret.
What would their biggest concern be, then, as visible figures?
Public figures need to be very careful with their events, and to be aware of how easy it is for someone to surprise them—or in the worst-case scenario, ambush them. Their whereabouts are always advertised and well-known, which makes it very, very easy to plan an attack.
Editor's note: Falkenberg does not retain any royal clients.
You Might Also Like
