Princess Diana's bodyguard claims the Queen should fund Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security

Publish Date: Wednesday, 4 March 2020, 10:41AM

Following the announcement the Canadian government is cutting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's publicly funded security in the "coming weeks," after their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family, Princess Diana's former bodyguard has suggested that the Queen should pick up the hefty bill.

Ken Wharfe, who was personal protection officer to Prince Harry's late mum, has revealed his fears that the couple's son Archie could face a "real risk" of being kidnapped if his family doesn't have sufficient security moving forward.

The Canadian government traditionally covers the costs of police protection when world leaders and royals visit the country and have been doing so "intermittently" since the couple and Archie moved into a $14 million mansion on Vancouver Island in November.

However, as the pair step back from their roles as senior royals, Canada's Public Safety Minister said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will stop paying for their security.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Ken said estimates the couple's security would cost around £20 million a year to the taxpayer is accurate.

He explained the family would need at least two bodyguards, which cost around £100k annually.

On top of that, they would also have to cover travel costs, accommodation and general administration for their bodyguards.

"From my point of view, Archie is probably the biggest threat to their family, than their parents, in the sense that there is a real risk of kidnap here, given the publicity," he explained.

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

"We know what happened with Diana in 1997, because of the inefficient security that was afforded to her at that time... we cannot go down the private sector here, because with security you need access to government intelligence in this country and abroad.

"The answer is... given the fact that the Queen subsidises the security given to Beatrice and Eugenie, now is the time to look at - if only to appease the British taxpayer - the Queen herself, or even his father, should subsidise this security bill."

Harry returned to the United Kingdom last week for his final round of official royal engagements before he and wife Meghan Markle officially step down as senior working royals on March 31.

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