Prince Harry and Meghan will lose their Canadian security detail when they drop their royal titles after March 31.
Canadian officials announced that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would no longer provide security services for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex starting on April 1. The couple announced that they would be cutting their royal titles and stepping back from public life earlier this year. As part of their separation from the royal family, the couple said they would spend half of their time in North America.
Since November, Canadian authorities have been providing security for the couple at taxpayer expense. The Canadian Office of the Minister of Public Safety issued a statement notifying the public that the arrangement will end when the couple drop their titles.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to re-locate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances,” the office said. “The [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] has been engaged with officials in the UK from the very beginning regarding security considerations. As the Duke and Duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as needed basis.”
“At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the Met since the arrival of the Duke and Duchess to Canada intermittently since November 2019. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status,” the statement added.
When Harry and Meghan announced that they would be leaving the royal family, they largely blamed harassment from the press as one of the reasons they would be stepping back.
“I was born into this life, and it is a great honor to serve my country and the Queen,” Harry said.
“You’ve looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us,” he added.
Canada is a commonwealth of the United Kingdom which recognizes Queen Elizabeth as monarch. Meghan, a former actress, was born in the United States but lived in Toronto for several years while filming the show Suits.
