Prince Harry received more taxpayer-funded RCMP security than any other internationally protected person visiting Canada over a five-year period, according to newly released federal records obtained by CBC News.
The documents show the RCMP spent at least $539,575 protecting Prince Harry between 2014-15 and 2019-20 during visits that included the Invictus Games and trips to see Meghan Markle before their marriage. The figure is significantly higher than the $334,337 previously disclosed by the RCMP in 2021.
Prince Harry’s security accounted for roughly 10 per cent of the more than $5.2 million spent protecting over 100 internationally protected persons visiting Canada during the same period.
The records reveal that taxpayer-funded security was also provided to a wide range of high-profile visitors, including former U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, members of the Trump family, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, foreign ambassadors, NATO and United Nations officials, and intelligence chiefs.
Under international agreements, the RCMP is responsible for providing security to internationally protected persons visiting Canada, whether their trips are official, business-related, or private. The disclosed costs cover additional expenses such as officer overtime and travel, but do not include regular RCMP salaries, meaning the total cost of protection was likely higher.
The records were released only after an order from Canada’s Information Commissioner, following a years-long legal battle in which the RCMP sought to keep the identities of protected individuals confidential.
Security experts say Prince Harry’s status as a senior working member of the Royal Family during that period, combined with his military service in Afghanistan, likely contributed to the heightened level of protection provided during his visits to Canada.
