The Prime Minister has spoken! Justin Trudeau has responded in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s monumental meeting with Prince Harry, Prince William, and Prince Charles, where it was revealed that the Prince and his wife Meghan Markle will split their time between the UK and Canada in the coming weeks.
In an interview for Canada’s Global News, the Prime Minister did say he believes most Canadians would welcome Harry and Meghan with open arms. He later added, “But how that looks and what kind of costs are involved, there are still lots of discussions to have.”
Until this point, Canada’s federal government had not been involved in providing continuous security for Meghan and Harry. While Canadian police typically covered security costs for the couple when they traveled on official business, it is unclear how much of a cost to the taxpayers a more permanent solution would be.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had previously spent much of their six-week hiatus from royal life at a private compound in Saanich.
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Justin Trudeau seemed to demur to the Queen’s statement that final decisions on the young royal couple’s transition would be made in the coming days. “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,” Justin said. “We are obviously supportive of their reflections but have responsibilities in that as well.”
The Canadian Prime Minister will likely face a decision once the royal palace smooths out the transition period for the couple, as Meghan and Harry announced they would work to become financially independent from the crown. Those decisions, as per the Queen’s official statement on Monday, should be reached by the end of the week.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” an official statement on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen read. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
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The following portion of the statement addressed Meghan and Harry’s desire to become “financially independent” from the crown. “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.”
“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days,” the statement concluded.
Meghan is already back in Canada following a brief trip to London. Prince Harry is still in England dealing with the fallout of the couple’s recent announcement, but is expected to reunite with his wife and son in Canada in the coming days or weeks.