Meghan Markle & Prince Harry 'Have No Plans to Ask U.S. Government for Security Resources'
President Donald Trump is speaking out on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s security protection since the couple recently settled in Los Angeles.
The pair has been living in a secluded compound in L.A. with their 10-month-old son Archie since leaving their Vancouver Island home as they prepare to make their official royal exit on March 31.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that “the U.S. will not pay for [Harry and Meghan’s] security protection,” despite the royal couple’s previous remarks about how they will no longer want to rely on public funds moving forward.
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
“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,” the president continued.
Trump added, “Now they have left Canada for the U.S….They must pay!”
RELATED: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Left Canada and Are Now Settled in L.A.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage
However, “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the U.S. government for security resources,” the pair’s spokesperson said in a statement. “Privately funded security arrangements have been made.”
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, are planning to become “financially independent” after they revealed in their bombshell Jan. 8 announcement that they will be stepping down as senior working royals.
The couple will not receive Sovereign Grant funding and have agreed to uphold the values of the Queen.
A royal source told PEOPLE in January that Harry’s father Prince Charles — who recently tested positive for coronavirus — will be offering the couple private financial support.
ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty
Harry and Meghan — who will no longer be using their royal titles — is free to seek employment, but have promised that everything they do will uphold the values of her majesty, the source shared.
The pair will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Prince Harry remains sixth in the line of succession, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s status in the Order of Precedence is unchanged.
A statement from Buckingham Palace in January also highlighted Harry and Meghan’s finances. “They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties,” the statement said at the time.
As of late, they are using their quiet time at home in L.A. to find ways to support others during the coronavirus pandemic while admitting that self-isolation and social distancing is “a lot to take in.”
“Our emotional well-being is challenged every day whether we realise it or not, but our lives are usually filled with distractions,” they shared on Instagram last week. “Now with constantly changing COVID coverage, we are all adjusting to this new normal and the feelings that come with it. These are uncertain times. And now, more than ever, we need each other. We need each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone during a time that can honestly feel quite scary.”
