Meghan Markle and Prince Harry speak out after President Trump says U.S. won't pay for their security costs
In a tweet Sunday, President Trump said that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle must pay for their own security if they move to the United States. The tweet was seemingly in response to a report that the couple had moved with their son Archie from Vancouver Island — where they went after leaving the U.K. and renouncing their royal life — to Los Angeles. “The U.S. will not pay for their security protection,” Trump tweeted. “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
Trump seems to have gotten the impression the the royals would ask the U.S. to pay for their security from an article in the Daily Mail. The article, which is largely based on claims attributed to a “royal source,” says the couple will have to “plead” with the president for protection. In essence, Trump’s tweet was a response to rumors that the couple would ask for his help, rather than an actual request.
Related Video: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Moved to Los Angeles
Later on Sunday, the royal couple replied to those rumors saying, in a statement to Chris Ship, royal correspondent for British television network ITV, that “privately funded security arrangements have been made” and that Meghan and Harry have “no plans” to get assistance from the U.S.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan has just told us that “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the U.S. government for security resources. Privately funded security arrangements have been made.”
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 29, 2020
Still, President Trump was not the only famous person to respond to the Daily Mail report. Meghan McCain also responded to the article via Twitter writing, “The American taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this under any circumstances whatsoever, particularly in this time of crisis.”
With all the struggle and pain in this country as we are possibly headed into a second Great Depression, this has GOT to be a joke. We are NOT using average American taxpayer dollars to pay for their security detail. Why isn’t this England’s problem? https://t.co/o2v6jZzajV
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 29, 2020
The American taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this under any circumstances whatsoever, particularly in this time of crisis. Our tax dollars need to be helping our healthcare workers and American families in need!
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 29, 2020
When living in Canada, which is part of the British Commonwealth, the Canadian government did for some time help foot the bill of the couple’s security, but that has since ended. A statement given to Yahoo News U.K. from the Canadian Office of the Minister of Public Safety read, “As the duke and duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis.
“At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the Met since the arrival of the duke and duchess to Canada intermittently since October 2019. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.” The last day of their royal duties will be March 31.
All that said, Trump did receive backlash for even engaging in the conversation about the royals while the coronavirus pandemic wages on across the nation. Actress Mia Farrow replied to his tweet about the royals with this plain and simple message: “People are dying.”
People are dying
— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) March 29, 2020
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