General Chat

One thing to consider is that Canada currently has a minority Federal government, and any appropriation to funding security for them might bring down the government ....... not immediately, but the Budget will have to be brought before the House in 2 or 3 months, and if the 3 Opposition parties, plus the lone Independent member, are convinced by members of their parties that the huge amount is not warranted, then the Government will be defeated.

If one of the Opposition parties then forms the government ................ out goes the funding.


Anyway, Meghan may be having second thoughts this morning ............. about 25 cm of snow has fallen on Victoria, traffic is almost at a standstill. Plus there are high possibly gale-force winds forecast for later today which will probably halt all ferry and plane movements between the Island and the mainland.

So she won't be able to escape, as she did yesterday, to take a seaplane ("with other ordinary passengers" and at least 2 protection officers) to and from Vancouver to make a "supportive" appearance at a Downtown Eastside Women's organisation.


BTW .......... it's not much better here on the Mainland. 15-30cm or more has fallen, depending on where you are. All schools, colleges and universities are closed ...... except for those in the popular skiing area of Whistler where they are used to large amounts falling.

'Meghan Markle did not join the royal summit with Britain's Queen Elizabeth and senior royals by phone and instead relied on her husband to put their case for a new independent life'.

(The Herald Daily).

Dai Davies might not have heard the phrase, but it does exist

United Nations Treaty Collection

"7. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents
New York, 14 December 1973"

Presumably if they were to be classed as Diplomats ( in some form) it would then apply.? Not that I am saying they would be or should be.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were forced to remove a line from their new website claiming they are "internationally protected people" entitled to personal security whenever they want.

The publication said legal expert Dai Davies, a former chief superintendent who led the Met's royalty protection unit, said "naivety beggars belief".
"I have never heard of the phrase ''internationally protected people'", he continued. "As far as I can see there is no such thing when you are no longer performing royal duties."

Well CA start digging deep.

And for anyone saying quite rightly they should pay for their own protection (myself included) Sylvia articles there rightly state if they had private bodyguards they probably wouldn't be armed, or they'd have to pay for the local police to watch them and they're overstretched already and not trained as bodyguards as such.

Thanks, Sylvia I'd forgot about the change in the law and us only saying there's the King/Queen.

Two interesting articles, both saying much the same thing re these two living in Canada .

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-harry-meghan-canada-1.5423395

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-harry-and-meghan-will-need-a-good-immigration-lawyer-if-they-want-to/?cmpid=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Caroline ............

just watched Justin being interviewed on Global National while he was in Vancouver today ............. he was asked about that "promise", and basically said you shouldn't believe everything you hear"

Take that as you will ;-)

Maggie she did apply to be a British citizen but that might be in jeopardy now, isn't there so many days you have to be resident or something?
I have lots of friends who are Americans living in Canada and yes they have to pay tax in both countries.
Sylvia hadn't heard that but it wouldn't be the first time Justin said something without thinking first :-)

As a spouse of a British citizen you have to have lived in the UK for 3 years before you can apply for citizenship....but if Meghan has got it ,, it has passed all lthe red tape,as shes only been here 20 months.as a spouse.

I wonder if their Uk visit to Canada House the other day has something to do with any application? or can they classed as royals just pick up and go without any of the waiting form filling and approval that joe bloggs has to go through,,,,,,,,


one rule for one etc,,,,,

I know that when I became eligible for th UK pension and my small superannuation payment from the time I worked in the UK, I was hounded by HMRC for tax, then I discovered that there was a reciprocal tax agreement between Oz and several other countries, including the UK so that you weren't taxed on the same sum twice.

I had to get the appropriate form, send it to the tax authorities here for them to confirm that I was an Oz taxpayer, and then send that form to the UK tax man.

I believe that, as an American living outside the USA, if your income is over $10,000 you have to fill in an American tax form.
Johnson only became a UK citizen when he was selling a house in Kensington and realised how much tax he would have to pay the USA.

Meghan would be wise to apply for UK citizenship, for tax purposes, if nothing else!

The US does not let go of its citizens even if they take out another citizenship .......... at least the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) does not.

They have the right to claim taxes on all earnings made by any citizen or PR (Permanent Resident) in any other country of the world, even years after said person has left the US and they find out about it.

That is well known to Canadians, as there is so much interaction between our countries.

They know all about her, so you can bet your bottom dollar that the IRS will be insisting on full disclosure of all earnings by Meghan even before she moves back to the US.

That would have been part of the discussions before she and Harry married.

They may even be liable to some sort of double taxation in the US and the UK, and possibly even in Canada, if they earn money in each country.


At one time, US citizens did lose all rights in the US if they took out another citizenship, thus in a sense losing their US citizenship, but that no longer applies.


I notice there is now a little disagreement between our PM and the Finance Minister. Trudeau is quoted in several places as having agreed to cover about half of the estimated £1 million cost of security for them. The Finance Minister said no such promise or commitment has been made.

As I said Kay, I'm not sure how the various citizenships work.

Doesn't Archie auto become a US citizen on mothers birth right and Harry by marriage to wife,?
But it may not be a hard task for them,,,,,,HRH and all that......

But Archie I'm sure will have dual,,,,,,,,,they surely cant take away all his birth heritage.that would be an insult to his dad .and only sibling.

Al that aside, isn't Meghan still an American citizen?

I read somewhere that she was applying for British Citizenship. This was in connection with her earnings, whether as a Royal or a private citizen, being subject to American tax .

I honestly don't know whether a person has to renounce USA citizenship on taking up another country's one.

So although Harry, by his Royal birth might be eligible to just swan into Canada, I don't know about his wife.

Also, given that the Queen is also Queen of Canada, does that connection apply only to her, and her successors, not to all the children?

I hear you Kay....but....none of the Royal family are actually trying to come and live in Canada...they come and visit to work open the odd building see the odd group of people.....what will Harry and Meghan be doing...telling us all how we shouldn't use planes too often as they jet here there and everywhere??....tell us to use public transit whilst they use big gas-guzzling cars??

I've said it before and I'll say it again they want their cake and eat it too...until they can go to America...then what Harry and Archie will need to apply for citizenship there....

As the queen is monarch of CA,,by the nature of his birth Harry is afforded the same protection as a Royal,,,,but should he ditch the Duke title,then by birth right Prince H will remain for ever.plus entry into CA they wont have to go through the rigramol like anyone else...…..they can have residential status.

Its all wrong they can set up good security with paid protection from a top notch security firm and pay the bill themselves......plus it will give employment to someone.
other people in show bizz and other situations do it,,,,and pay...…...why not them.

well seems like shes not ever coming back to live.

But the first point was how can they live here they're not citizens and not likely to apply to be as they want to live in America....
As for how much they'd be in public can you honestly see them staying behind closed doors the whole time??

Yes if they have $60 million and expect to get lots more then pay for your own security.

Trump was here for 3 days and "The police operation to provide security for Donald Trump during his visit to the UK drained almost £18m from the public purse. "

What did HE bring to our country? At least Canada will be getting a couple who are unlikely to start a war ....... ;-)

I dare say the need for security will be commensurate with how much they are in public? and in tems of where they live well I dare say the security will be the best, and at worst Harry is at least able to shoot.