Canadians reject paying for Harry, Meghan’s security in British Columbia

PTI, Feb 3, 2020, 1:01 PM IST

Montreal: A clear majority of Canadians feel their country does not have to pay for security for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who have settled in British Columbia.

Seventy-seven percent of people surveyed by Nanos Research, for CTV, believe the Candian taxpayer does not have to pay for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex because they are not in Canada as representatives of the Queen.

Canada is a parliamentary monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning head of state. Only 19 percent of Canadians would not object to their country assuming a share of the security costs.

There has been no official announcement about the question of security for Prince Harry and Meghan, or who will cover the bill, now that they have officially left the royal family.

Canadian authorities have only indicated that discussions were taking place. More than two-thirds of Canadians feel the privacy of the couple and their infant son will be better respected in Canada than it was in Britain.

But Harry and Meghan who live in Victoria, on Vancouver Island — are taking no chances: last month they issued a legal warning to media over photographs of the duchess out walking her dogs with Archie, their son.

Their lawyers claimed the images were taken without Meghan’s consent, the BBC reported, and the couple was prepared to take legal action.

Perhaps more worrying for the couple, in the long run, is that only 32 per cent of those surveyed were strongly in favour of maintaining links with the royal family and their country’s status as a constitutional monarchy. Twenty-eight percent said they were only somewhat supported that option.

And 35 per cent would be more or less strongly in favor of abolishing links with the British monarchy.

The survey was conducted by telephone and online, with a sample of 1,003 Canadians and a margin of error of 3.1 percent.