Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have managed to rile up the public once again for bilking British taxpayers.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were lambasted by a former member of Parliament and a present member of the Privy Council for deceiving British taxpayers out of millions prior to their move across the pond.
Former Liberal Democrat for East Sussex, and writer of …And What Do You Do?, Norman Baker wrote for the Daily Mail alleging that the couple has taken $53million of British taxpayers’ money for their own personal wants.
“From their wedding day to March 31 this year, I estimate the British taxpayer has forked out more than £44 million ($53 million) to provide Harry and Meghan with, it seems, whatever they want,” he wrote.
Baker broke down the expenses for the readers saying the royal wedding of the Sussex couple saying the event cost $40.8 million out of which only $2.4million were contributed by the royals personally.
Security cost amounted for most of the sum with over $35million while rest went for other extravagances.
The ministry of Defense had ordered 20 new trumpets for $109,000, a PA system, private contractors and other essentials for the wedding.
Talking about the couple’s housing since they married, Baker said: “The couple have said they will repay the renovation costs for Frogmore Cottage. They have offered ($22,000) a month, which is also meant to cover rent. Assuming a rent of ($12,000) a month, it will take them 25 years to repay the renovation costs, and that is without interest or any ongoing maintenance.”
He added that “since the wedding, Meghan is also said to have amassed a ($731,000) jewelry collection (including items gifted to her by Harry and the Queen), a collection larger than the late Princess Diana’s, including a stunning new diamond ring.”
Treading towards the staff, Baker estimated that the their PR gurus, office secretaries and lawyers as well as house help cost the taxpayers $721,000 over the course of two years.
“Until March 31, when they ceased to be working royals, the team of up to 15 included a private secretary (who can earn a salary of $177,000 a year), PR director Sara Latham, and a full team of servants including a housekeeper ($36,500) and a nanny,” he wrote.
He estimated their travel cost as $1.2million with their trips to Australia, Singapore and other places, before they were shamed into flying economy. Baker noted that Harry “took a helicopter journey costing an estimated ($6,000) from London to Birmingham and two days later told a crowd at Wembley Stadium to ‘wake up’ and act on ‘the damaging impact our ways are having on the world.’”
Their personal security costs too had been vast as they snagged away $8.5million out of taxpayers before severing ties with the royal family.
“They were always accompanied by protection officers funded by the taxpayer. The bill for this, including business-class travel for the officers (as confirmed by former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe), and any overtime and away-from-home allowances, has fallen to the public,” Baker said.
Discussing the allowance the couple will be getting from Prince Charles in the first year of their move away from UK, Baker said: “Controversially, Charles is allowed to classify this allowance to Harry as a business expense, which he can set against tax. This means that the public purse continued to support Harry for as long as Charles continued with this approach to funding the Duke.”