Canada to stop paying for Harry and Meghan’s protection ‘in the coming weeks’

Canada has said it will stop providing protection for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the coming weeks when they step down as working royals.

Meghan and Harry have spent much of the past three months living in the Commonwealth country and plan to make it their base when they quit royalty and become financially independent from March 31.

But there has been speculation about who will pay the bill for keeping the couple and their baby son Archie safe, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau facing questions about the issue in recent weeks.

In a statement Canada’s Office of the Minister of Public Safety said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances.

“The RCMP (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 recognised 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.”