Canada last night refused to keep guarding Harry and Meghan when they step down as working royals.

In what will be seen as a humiliation for the couple, the Mounties said they would no longer pay for their security after March 31.

This means the cost of round-the-clock protection for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and baby son Archie – which could run to millions of pounds – will fall on UK taxpayers.

It is the first time Canada has confirmed it has been helping to guard Harry and Meghan since they settled on Vancouver Island last November. But last night it announced this would cease from April in keeping with their ‘change in status’.

Meghan Markle is pictured above taking her two dogs for a walk with baby Archie with Canadian security guards

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pictured above earlier this month. It is said that costs to keep the couple safe are continuing to soar

Prince Harry is pictured above leaving Victoria International Airport in Victoria

Harry and Meghan's travels this year and where they are expected to be going in March

Canada has a legal obligation to provide security to so-called internationally protected persons.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry DROP bid to trademark Sussex Royal name Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have abandoned their bid to trademark the Sussex Royal brand in Britain to cash in on their links to the monarch. Documents filed at the Intellectual Property Office show a request to use the names Sussex Royal and Sussex Royal Foundation for commercial and charity activities in the UK had been removed. It followed the Queen's decision that they could not use the 'Royal' label after deciding to step down as working royals and move to North America. An application to use the royal trademark on toiletries, beer, toys, jewellery and sporting goods in Europe is still active. That is despite the couple saying last weekend that they would not use the word 'Royal' overseas. Advertisement

The Sussexes arrived there on a temporary visit in November as full working royals, and the Mounties gave them protection as they always have on such visits – with Canadian taxpayers picking up the bill.

But now Harry and Meghan intend to live in North America to pursue lucrative commercial careers and will quit as senior working royals on March 31.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said yesterday: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances.

‘The RCMP has been engaged with officials in the UK from the very beginning regarding security considerations.

'As the duke and duchess are currently recognised as internationally protected persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis.

‘At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the Met since the arrival of the duke and duchess to Canada intermittently since November 2019.

'The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.’

Prince Harry greets Justin Trudeau in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in London during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018. Mr Trudeau had previously promised that the couple would be safe when in Canada

The Duchess of Sussex, then Meghan Markle, speaks to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the One Young World summit in Ottowa in September 2016. Mr Trudeau previously said that any security arrangements for the couple would be confidential

Harry and Meghan spent their first Christmas with baby Archie at this £10million waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada

Who will foot the bill for Meghan and Harry's security costs? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMCP) today revealed that they will cease to provide security for Meghan and Harry once they officially step back from their royal duties. Canadian officials said that this had been a deal that was brokered with the Met Police in London. In their roles as senior royals, the couple had their security paid for by the state and once they step back from these officials roles in the coming weeks it has not yet been clear as to who will foot the bill. According to the Royals' 2018-2019 financial reports, physical security is not covered by the Sovereign Grant. The costs are likely to fall on British taxpayers even when the prince and the former actress move to Canada on a permanent basis. This could be due to the fact that Harry has been a high-value target since serving in the military. But Prince Harry is still set to receive money from his father from the Duchy Estate and could use these funds to pay to keep his family safe. Harry is worth an estimated £30million, made up partly from funds left in a trust to him by his mother, Princess Diana, inheritance from the Queen Mother (which reportedly included her jewels) and partly from his earnings as a captain of the Army. If Meghan were to go back to acting she could be in for a princely sum of money, as she made £3million from appearing on American TV show Suits. Advertisement

The decision puts the globe-trotting couple in a potentially explosive predicament.

As recently as last Friday, when they updated their personal website, the Sussexes were adamant they are legally entitled to year-round police protection.

In a statement they said: ‘It is agreed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son.

‘This is based on the duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into the Royal Family, his military service, the duchess’s own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years.’

But with Canada now refusing to help, the responsibility for protecting the Sussexes will be placed solely at the feet of the Metropolitan Police – and UK taxpayers.

The annual cost of keeping a team of UK officers to guard them in Canada for most of the year and accompany them on trips around the world has been estimated at £1million at the very least.

The only other option would be for the couple to agree to pay for their own security guards.

Some have suggested they might accept the kind of arrangement favoured by Tony Blair, who pays for his own bodyguards for lucrative foreign business trips.

But the duke and duchess appear unwilling to do this, given the strength of their recent statement. Dai Davies, who led the Met’s royalty protection unit, said: ‘It’s the first time in 300 years of royalty protection that anyone has ever done this to a member of the Royal Family.

The Duke of Sussex released this photograph of him with baby Archie on New Year's Eve, while the family were in Canada

Police in Canada have today revealed that they will stop paying Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security costs after the pair officially step back from royal life (the couple are pictured above in London last month)

The couple insisted in their statement last week that they need security 'to protect them and their son' amid controversy surrounding protection costs

'Just call me Harry!': Prince DROPS his royal title as he returns to Britain without Meghan to launch an eco-friendly tourism firm in Edinburgh - after arriving by train The Duke of Sussex this week embarked on his final round of engagements as a senior working royal as he launched a new eco-friendly travel firm in Edinburgh - and asked delegates 'just to call him Harry'. Prince Harry, who will step down as a senior royal in less than five weeks, is in the Scottish capital for a 'working summit' of the Travalyst partnership, which will feature a grading system for users to track their carbon emissions. Before he took to the stage on Wednesday, host Ayesha Hazarika, a former Labour adviser, said: 'He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, warm, Scottish welcome to Harry.' Asking to be addressed simply as Harry, he said the industry in Scotland was at the forefront of making the sector greener Harry flew to Britain from Canada on a commercial flight earlier this week and arrived in Edinburgh on an eco-friendly LNER train from London King's Cross station, with taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard bodyguards. The 35-year-old Duke, who is officially known as the Earl of Dumbarton when in Scotland, has been stung by criticism over the past six months of his frequent use of private jets while campaigning on environmental issues. Advertisement

‘There are two options now for them and us: that the Met will carry on guarding them and footing the bill, which is unacceptable to many, or they agree a system where they make a contribution to the costs personally.

‘But their statement doesn’t seem to suggest they would wish to do that. With budgets straining at the moment, this is a huge problem that the Met will have to get a grip on and quickly.’

It was previously reported that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had given the UK a commitment that his government would contribute to the costs, although this was never confirmed. Recent polls found that only one in five Canadians believes paying for the couple’s security is an appropriate use of state funds.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation delivered an 80,000-signature petition to Mr Trudeau’s office opposing footing the bill. There has been similar opposition in the UK. Buckingham Palace and the Met refused to comment last night, and it was clear Scotland Yard had been caught unawares by the Canadian statement.

A spokesman for the Sussexes said: ‘Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well-established independent procedures to determine the need for publicly-funded security.’

Scotland Yard is already carrying out a full review of security for the duke and duchess.

A joint committee made up of the Home Secretary, the Met’s royalty protection command chief, and palace officials are assessing whether their 24-hour protection should continue.

Mr Davies has estimated the bill will exceed £1million a year for their close protection team and extra uniformed police required on engagements.

He said the cost of each officer will reach £100,000 for salary, overtime, overseas allowance, pensions, flights and accommodation.

Harry is in the UK completing his last official engagements as a senior royal, and will be joined by Meghan next week. Today he will record a charity single for his Invictus Games Foundation with rock star Jon Bon Jovi at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Prince Harry was seen carrying his own suit through Edinburgh Waverley earlier this week (left) after arriving with his team (right). The team are believed to be part of his UK security team that is funding by the UK taxpayer