A new poll shows 73 percent of Canadian citizens don’t want their government to pay for any security costs during the royal couple’s stay in Canada.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, announced earlier this month that they are stepping back from their roles as members of the royal family after coverage from British tabloids, much of it criticized as racist, led the couple to seek a life away from the royal spotlight.
With that announcement the couple indicated that they will also be splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America. Markle, who was an actress on the show “Suits,” has lived in Toronto in the past, as well as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
In the Instagram post where they made the announcement, they added that they will later share the “full details of this exciting next step.”
The poll, released Wednesday, surveyed 1,154 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum, a leading Canadian pollster. They asked if as taxpayers they would be willing to pay for all, part of, or none of the security costs.
Though most respondents said they don’t want to pick up the bill for security costs, 22 percent said they would be willing to pay for all or part of the bill.
A report from the Evening Standard said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had agreed to pay for half of the $1.3 million in estimated security costs.
Trudeau said he welcomes the Sussexes to Canada, though discussions on security costs are still tentative.
“There are still a lot of decisions to be taken by the Royal Family, by the Sussexes themselves as to what level of engagement they choose to have,” Trudeau said Monday, as reported by Canada’s Global News. “We are obviously supportive of their reflections but have responsibilities in that as well.”
Canada has retained a role for the royal family, as Queen Elizabeth is the Canadian monarch and the country’s head of state.