Newly released Canadian records have shed fresh light on the cost of protecting Prince Harry during the early years of his relationship with Meghan Markle, revealing that the Duke of Sussex received the highest taxpayer-funded security bill of any visiting dignitary over a five-year period.
The figures, released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), show that security for Harry and Meghan cost Canadian taxpayers £286,686 between April 2015 and March 2020.
The records only became public after Canada’s national broadcaster, CBC, spent six years pursuing their release through freedom of information requests.
According to the newly published figures, the Sussexes’ protection accounted for more than ten per cent of the £2.66 million spent safeguarding around 100 visiting royals, world leaders, diplomats and their families during the same period.
Prince Harry’s highest annual security bill came during the 2017–18 financial year, when protection costs reached £193,723.
It was during this period that he proposed to Meghan, who was still living in Toronto while filming the final season of Suits.
The previous year, when the couple quietly began their relationship, security costs totalled £56,221 as Harry reportedly made several discreet trips to Canada to spend time with Meghan away from the public eye.
Meghan previously said: “We had a good five, six months almost with just privacy, which was amazing.”
The RCMP records suggest that most of the overall security costs were linked to Harry’s repeated visits to Toronto, where he frequently stayed at Meghan’s home before their engagement was announced.
During King Charles’s 2017 tour of Ontario and Quebec with Queen Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall security costs totalled £94,859, less than half of Harry’s peak annual bill.
The documents also include a separate entry for Meghan Markle, listing£5,642 in security expenses during the 2018-19 financial year.
CBC reported that the costs are believed to relate to a private three-day visit Meghan made to Toronto in August 2018, when she travelled to see her close friend Jessica Mulroney.
2026-07-31 22:29:00
