Prince Harry ‘husband Diana needed’ claims Hazarika

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step back from their senior royal roles last year, which meant leaving behind their royal patronages, military titles and UK home. In the process, the couple also lost their security protections as senior working members of the Royal Family. In their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the UK earlier this week, Harry and Meghan both expressed their dismay at having their taxpayer-funded security removed after leaving senior royal life behind.

As senior working members of the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan were entitled to round the clock protection from police before they stepped down in March 2020.

But following their exit from senior royal life, security proved to be a major issue for Harry and Meghan.

After leaving the UK in early 2020, the couple resided temporarily in Canada.

However, Harry revealed in his interview with Oprah that security concerns prompted the couple’s departure from Canada and their eventual stay at Tyler Perry’s mansion in Los Angeles.

As Harry and Meghan had expressed their wish to no longer be senior working members of the Royal Family, it was decided the family would no longer receive taxpayer-funded security.

Harry said: “The biggest concern was while we were in Canada, in someone else’s house, I then got told, short notice, that security was going to be removed.

“By this point, courtesy of the Daily Mail, the world knew our exact location.

“So suddenly it dawned on me, ‘hang on a second, the borders could be closed, we’re going to have our security removed, who knows how long lockdown is going to be, the world knows where we are, it’s not safe, it’s not secure, we probably need to get out of here’.”

Harry said the couple’s “UK security” was withdrawn due to a “change in status”, a move he pushed back against after receiving confirmation the risk level had not changed.

Harry also said: “I was born into this position. I inherited the risk. So that was a shock to me.”

How much does Meghan and Harry’s security cost?

Since leaving their senior royal roles, Meghan and Harry do not receive taxpayer-funded security, as is also the case for Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are not working members of the Royal Family.

However, up until 2011, Prince Andrew’s daughters had received protection at a reported cost of £500,000 per year.

Harry said in the interview with Oprah he had agreed deals with streamers such as Netflix and Spotify to help pay for his family’s security.

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He also added he and Meghan “would not have been able to do this” if it wasn’t for the money his late mother Princess Diana had left him in inheritance.

The Royal Family does not publicly discuss how much security for members costs and estimates of how much Meghan and Harry’s security costs differ depending on the source.

However, most estimates suggest the couple’s security costs spiral into the millions annually.

The security at their wedding was reported to have cost about £30 million – though it’s important to bear in mind this was a one-off and extremely high profile event.

In early 2020, the Daily Mail reported Prince Charles was covering the cost of the couple’s security with an estimated annual bill of £4million.

Kent Moyer, president and CEO of The World Protection Group, told Forbes that a 24-7 security detail could cost up to $4million (approximately £2.88 million) annually.

However, Prince Harry said he was “cut off” financially from the Royal Family last year.

The pair now live in their own home in Montecito, California, home, which is worth $14.7 million, and pay their own security costs.

They have just signed a five-year contract with Netflix thought to be worth $100 million and an estimated $25 million deal with Spotify.

Forbes estimates the couple are worth a staggering $10 million.

You can watch Oprah with Meghan and Harry in full on the ITV hub. 

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