How will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live in Canada? Couple could lose £2m from Royal purse each year - but British taxpayers face picking up '£600,000 annual security bill'
By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter for MailOnline and Ed Riley for MailOnline
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could lose £2 million-a-year from the Royal purse after they announced they would be 'stepping back' from being senior members of the royal family.
Despite the couple having announced they would be splitting their time between North America and the UK, British tax payers could still be picking up a £600,000 annual security bill for the pair and their son baby Archie.
The couple recently returned from a six-week break in Canada over the festive period, where they spent their first Christmas together as a family at a £10.7million home in Vancouver Island.
Just last night it was revealed that the couple had started discussing their plans with senior royals — expected to include the Queen and Prince Charles, but the Palace told MailOnline that they would not comment on 'speculation.'
This evening the couple took to Instagram where they shared the announcement, along with a picture of the pair smiling.
They snubbed a royal Christmas at Sandringham just days after Prince Philip was taken to hospital, and instead spent time with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland at the luxury retreat.
ITV News at Ten host Tom Bradby, close friends with the couple, told Good Morning Britain today that it was 'no big secret' that they have been considering what their future roles within the royal family will be.
The move - dismissed as 'speculation' by the Palace - comes after a tough year for the couple, with royal insiders saying they felt sidelined by the monarchy, as they launched attacks on the British press and faced criticism over their use of private jets.
They first sparked claims they could be about to step out of the spotlight when they revealed to Bradby in an ITV documentary that they are struggling with the intense media scrutiny they face on a daily basis.
But if they did move to Canada, how will it work? Will the British taxpayer continue to fund their lifestyle, who picks up the bill for security, and would they step back from their royal duties altogether?
Here MailOnline looks at the move abroad and what it means to Canada, the UK and the royal family itself.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7866007/Harry-Meghan-step-senior-royals-financially-independent.html