ONE MUST PAY: Trump promises Harry & Meghan no free ride in US
President Donald Trump has assured Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle that the US taxpayer won’t be footing their security bill, after the absconding royals left Canada to settle in Los Angeles.
“I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom,” Trump tweeted on Sunday. “It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the US however, the US will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!”
I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020
The couple stepped back from royal life and left the UK earlier this year, settling first in Vancouver, Canada. However, the pair departed for Los Angeles this week, with British tabloids speculating that Markle’s tax situation – being forced to pay US income tax on top of Canadian tax – prompted the move.
The US Secret Service usually provides security for British royals. However, Harry’s withdrawal from royal duties could mean he’s not automatically entitled to that same protection. And, judging from the president’s Sunday tweet, Trump won’t be making an exception.
Harry and Meghan have both criticized Trump. The pair skipped a Buckingham Palace reception for the US leader last December, and Harry told a pair of Russian pranksters posing as climate activist Greta Thunberg that Trump had “blood on his hands” due to his climate policies.
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