It’s no secret that Prince Harry has been eager to return to the United Kingdom with his wife Meghan Markle and children Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 7 months. But one aspect of the trip has been a stumbling block: security.
According to a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex, the couple wants to pay for their own security detail, but due to a decision made by the British Home Office, making such an arrangement has proven to be more difficult than the couple might have anticipated.
So, how much would Harry and Meghan have to pay for private security instead of relying on UK taxpayers to make the trip across the pond? Here’s what we know so far. “It’s very difficult to put a figure exactly on it,” Richard Aitch, the director of operations for Mobius International Security, shared with Us Weekly.
“The cost for a personal protection officer from the [Metropolitan Police] has been estimated to be around £100,000 a year.” Just to add a little more context, £100,000 a year equates to roughly $134,445.60 — not exactly cheap.
Aitch also revealed that the estimate could “considerably” vary depending on certain elements, particularly that of Harry and Meghan’s two young children, along with flight accommodations, and more. “What may appear as a wish on paper is far more in reality, and the costs can certainly be quite huge,” Aitch further explained.
Now that Harry and Meghan have stepped back from their responsibilities as senior members of the royal family, they’ve had to make major financial sacrifices as they build their lives in California.
However, in this case, where Harry and Meghan appear willing to foot the bill for their own security detail (despite the inevitability of the cost), perhaps they can reach an agreement with the British Home Office to proceed with their request. Based on what we’ve learned so far, Harry appears willing to make any compromise necessary to reunite his family on both sides of the Atlantic.
