Most Canadians would welcome Prince Harry and his wife Meghan spending more time in Canada, the country’s prime minister Justin Trudeau has said, although no decision has yet been made on who will foot the royals’ security bill.
British media reported on Monday evening that Canada was prepared to pay $650,000 (Dh2.4 billion) towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s protection.
But speaking to Canada’s Global TV, Mr Trudeau said his government had not “up until this point” been involved in talks on where the Sussexes and their eight-month old son Archie would live.
"I think that is part of the reflection that... needs to be had, and there are discussions going on," Trudeau said.
"We're not entirely sure what the final decisions will be, where the dispositions are and those are decisions for them," he said.
"I think most Canadians are very supportive of having royals be here, but how that looks and what kind of costs are involved, there are still lots of discussions to have."
It has been estimated that the Sussexes security costs in Canada would be around $1.3m a year.
Harry and Meghan announced last week that they were planning to step back as senior royals and spend more time in North America.
The Sussexes said their surprise statement that they were seeking “progressive new roles” in the royal family and would work to become financially independent.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth held talks to discuss Harry and Meghan’s future with senior royals at her estate in Norfolk, eastern England, on Monday.
Harry attended what has been dubbed the “Sandringham summit” along with his father Prince Charles and brother Prince William. Meghan, who is currently in Canada with Archie, did not dial into the meeting as had been rumoured.
The Queen released a statement on Monday evening saying she would have preferred the Sussexes to remain fulltime members of the royal family but "entirely" supported the couple's desire to lead an independent life.
The Sussexes’ spoke last year about how media scrutiny had presented difficulties in their life. Harry told broadcaster ITV he would not “be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked about newspaper coverage of Meghan in an interview on Tuesday.
He said: "I am absolutely confident that they are going to sort this out, and you know what I think they are probably going to be able to sort it out easier without any particular commentary from me about this."
