Canada will not foot the bill when the couple are no longer senior members of the royal family.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be paying for their own security soon. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, the Canadian Office of the Minister of Public Safety said that once Meghan and Harry are no longer members of the royal family, the country will not cover the cost of their security.
According to the statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been assisting London’s Metropolitan Police with security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "intermittently" since November.
Once Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, are no longer working senior members of the royal family, though, they will not receive the publicly-funded security. Their security, the outlet reports, is estimated to cost into the millions of dollars.
The change will happen fairly soon, as the couple is scheduled to step down as senior members of the royal family on Mar. 31. The move will make them financially independent and allow them to split their time between North America and the United Kingdom.
Ahead of the change, both Harry and Meghan will be busy with events throughout the U.K. They will attend the Endeavor Fund Awards on March 5, the Mountbatten Music Festival on March 7, and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9. Additionally, Harry will attend the Silverstone Experience with Lewis Hamilton on March 6, while Meghan will go to events to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.
ET has reached out to the Office of the Minister of Public Safety and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
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