Harry and Meghan WILL have to pay towards cost of their bodyguards after quitting as senior royals
HARRY and Meghan will have to pay towards the cost of their bodyguards when they quit their royal duties, it was revealed last night.
Senior ministers are adamant that taxpayers must not foot the entire £1million-a-year bill to protect the couple as they forge a new future abroad.
They fear a major backlash if scarce resources are lavished on the want-away royals while police are battling a violent crime epidemic.
But there is concern over the dangers of leaving them in the hands of private security firms that cannot offer the level of protection they will need.
Talks between ministers and police chiefs are expected to reach a formula that will see Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, making a “substantial contribution” towards the costs.
One well-placed source told The Sun on Sunday last night: “It just won’t wash if they expect the public purse to continue funding their security when they have relinquished their public roles.
“There is some expectation that their protection will continue to be provided by the taxpayer — but that is not going to happen.
“They are going to have to come to some kind of an agreement and that will involve making a substantial contribution towards the overall cost.”
The cost of guarding the pair — about £600,000 a year — is met by Scotland Yard’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command.
But that could soar to £1million if the couple carry out their desire to spend much of their time in North America.
An armed team of at least six officers accompany the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at all times.
But during their seven-week holiday in Canada, more than ten were needed to work the round-the-clock rota, meaning added flight and accommodation costs.
Home Secretary Priti Patel will sit on a joint committee with royal protection commanders and palace officials to thrash out how their security should continue — and who pays for what.
They are waiting for full details on where and how they intend to forge their new life-style before reaching a decision.
Private bodyguards can never offer the level of protection they need but with all the add-ons it will cost about £100,000 an officer a year to keep them safe.
But advisers insist Harry — a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan — needs a highly specialised level of protection.
They are wary of forcing them to jettison their police protection team — as Harry’s mother Princess Diana did in 1993 before her divorce from Prince Charles.
Senior officers had begged her at the time to re-instate the team and believe she would still be alive today if she had.
But the government is aware of the possible public backlash from pampering two royals as they live mostly overseas.
An insider said: “The Home Office has only recently announced the recruitment of 20,000 extra police officers and everyone is keen to see that the cash is spent on providing extra officers in areas where the public believe they are needed most — fighting crime.
“However, it’s clear that only highly trained Met officers will be able to do the job adequately and the Duke and Duchess will simply have to make a substantial contribution towards the cost.
“We are keen to see the overall bill for keeping them safe come down, not go up.”
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Suggested options include the couple paying for the cost of security while abroad, with the rest being met from public funds. And it has been reported in Canada that their taxpayers could be made to pay for security if the couple moved there.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is also being dragged into the row.
He will have key decisions to make about the role Britain’s diplomatic service takes in royal visits and whether or not public money can be spent to pay for any overseas travel the couple may make.
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