Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to the United States from Canada, and they promised to pay for their own security bill. However, with the coronavirus outbreak and the many countries' lockdown, a royal expert claimed they would find it hard to pay for their protection and fund their lavish lifestyle as they both have no source of regular income.
In an episode of Heir Pod podcast, royal expert Omid Scobie revealed that the Sussexes are now facing an estimated £4-million security bill, which they might find hard to pay. Just like many others in this time of crisis, the couple is not immune to financial difficulties, as the pandemic prevents them from pursuing commercial opportunities, Daily Mail noted.
For the past few years, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn't earn a living but are merely funded. As royal themselves, their expenses were covered by the monarchy, but they never got paid. Now that they stepped down as senior members of the royal family, they are about to face a "very tough" few months ahead of them.
"No-one knows when there is an end date to this. This could follow us for some time," Scobie, who is also a contributor to Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar, said. On the top of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's difficulties with the press, there are underlying issues about who will pay for their security moving forward.
Scobie claimed that it is something that they are both "very conscious of." After the removal of their HRH titles on March 31, they have to do things by themselves. With the issues of their security bill, the royal commentator added that they didn't want to "leave themselves open to further attacks."
CTV anchor Elaine Lui also explained that security cost is never cheap, especially if they have to have multiple security personnel who have to be around round-the-clock. The basic fee doesn't even cover the travel and other expenses, so they have to add that up to the account.
"This all goes back to the curiosity about their future plans and what they will be," she said. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to have a stable and significant income to cover their security cost and lifestyle.
United States President Donald Trump, upon learning the couple's move to the U.S., quickly cleared that the country would never cover their protection expenses. "They must pay!" he said on Twitter. Anyhow, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spokesperson told Fox News that they have no plans to let the government foot the bill, as privately funded security arrangements are already arranged.
