Prince Harry's Canadian security costs topped all internationally protected persons, RCMP records show

Canadian taxpayers spent more to protect Prince Harry during his visits to Canada than protecting any other internationally protected person over the same five-year period, newly released RCMP records show.

According to a document obtained by CBC News under federal access-to-information law, the RCMP spent at least $539,575 providing security for Prince Harry between 2014/15 and 2019/20 when he travelled to Canada for events like the Invictus Games and to date his future wife, Meghan Markle. The figure is substantially higher than the $334,337 initially revealed by the RCMP in 2021.

Harry and Markle's security accounted for roughly 10 per cent of the over $5.2 million spent during that period to protect more than 100 internationally protected persons who visited Canada — a category under international conventions that includes heads of state, government officials, and others designated for security by the UN.

The two-page list offers rare glimpses into the world of taxpayer-funded security for internationally protected persons. Among those listed are U.S. President Donald Trump's children, former U.S. presidents and their wives on book tours or speaking engagements, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, and members of various royal families. The roster also includes government officials from countries ranging from the U.S. and Israel to secretaries general of NATO and the United Nations, as well as heads of the CIA and Israel's intelligence service.

The list does not include expenses for other Royal Family members like Princess Anne or Prince Edward, who visited Canada during that period on what were described as "private working" visits.

The records were first requested in January 2020 and released to CBC News following an order from Canada's Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard after the RCMP fought for years to avoid revealing the names of those who received protection. The force also declined repeatedly to answer CBC News questions about the records beyond general background about the internationally protected persons program.

Simon Morgan, a former U.K. Metropolitan Police officer who has protected senior members of the Royal Family and founded the London-based Trojan Consultancy security firm, explained that taxpayer-funded protection for internationally protected persons is part of an international system set up by the United Nations. Protection is generally associated with the role someone occupies — not their personal wealth or fame.