Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Stay in Canada Reportedly Cost Taxpayers More Than $40,000

From Cosmopolitan

• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s stay in Canada reportedly cost taxpayers more than $40,000.

• There might be a reimbursement plan already in the works.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are finally getting settled in Los Angeles after moving in March at the height of the pandemic, but it seems like they still have some things to sort out from their time spent in Canada.

Before Meghan and Harry moved to her home state, they lived in Canada on Vancouver Island for a short period of time toward the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. You know, after they made their dramatic but well-understood exit from the royal family after enduring years of abuse from the British tabloids? Well, even though they decided to call America home now, Meghan and Harry still have to confront the hefty cost of their security measures, which were reportedly initially paid by Canadian taxpayers.

According to Page Six and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Meghan and Harry ran up more than $41,500 in security fees just from November 18 to January 19. The federation, which has been described as a watchdog group, added that this number reflects only the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s “overtime, travel, meals, incidentals, and accommodations” and could actually be much higher once everything is taken into consideration.

While nearly 100,000 Canadians signed a petition declaring they shouldn’t be held responsible for Meghan and Harry’s security, there were murmurs that the royals actually have a reimbursement plan in the works. In January, The Telegraph reported the couple will “reimburse the taxpayer for security provided on private business engagements with no royal connection” if they are “commercially successful.” (This arrangement is similar to the one former Prime Minister Tony Blair used.)

While it’s unclear exactly how much money Meghan and Harry have made these past few months, they do seem rather successful and cautious about placing an added burden on the Canadian taxpayers, so hopefully this plan works!

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