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Trump Says US ‘Will Not Pay’ For Harry And Meghan’s Security

(Photo credit VICTORIA JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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President Donald Trump declared Sunday that the United States will not be picking up the tab for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s security if the two have in fact moved to Los Angeles.

“I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom,” Trump tweeted. “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!”

U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019 in London, England. President Trump's three-day state visit will include lunch with the Queen, and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, as well as business meetings with the Prime Minister and the Duke of York, before travelling to Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. (Photo by Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will soon be just expatriates from the U.K. with no royal status and as such would have to petition the president for a Secret Service detail. Trump has seemingly not waited for the request and indicated his answer in advance.

The couple and their 10-month-old child relocated to a residence on Vancouver Island after announcing they would be withdrawing from their duties with the Royal Family. They reportedly left Canada for Los Angeles sometime before the U.S.-Canada border closed. Although the Trudeau government initially promised to fund security for the pair, it was hedging on that commitment.  (RELATED: Report: Meghan Markle And Kate Middleton’s Alleged Feud Really Between Prince Harry And Prince William)

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive for the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo -

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive for the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo –

During their stay in Canada, a pair of Russian pranksters reportedly posed as teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg and her father and engaged the prince in a telephone conversation that touched on current events and his relationship with the Royals. Harry was quoted as saying Trump has “blood on his hands” for encouraging coal-fired energy. (RELATED: Donald Trump Weighs In On Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s Decision To ‘Step Back’)

The Queen met privately with Harry in January to discuss his decision to relinquish his public role in the Royal Family. During a visit to Scotland in February the prince indicated that he wished to be called just “Harry” from now on.