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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were facing an angry backlash today as their £20million security bill looks set to fall squarely on British taxpayers after Canada refused to keep paying.  

Canadian police confirmed last night it would stop guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they step down as working royals and become private citizens after Megxit on March 31. 

This means the cost of round-the-clock protection for the couple and baby Archie will fall to the taxpayer-funded Metrpolitan Police, despite the couple leaving the UK for North America. 

The force, which currently pays for the couple's security in the UK, today refused to comment on whether they would continue to protect the couple after Megxit at home and abroad. Buckingham Palace declined to say if Harry and Meghan would contribute any their own money for their protection. 

Royal expert Phil Dampier today attacked the new set-up, arguing the couple should not receive public money for security when they become private citizens with their own income, which is set to be millions of pounds a year.  

'It was only a matter of time before the Canadians stopped paying for their security because they're no longer working royals and now obviously the burden will fall on British taxpayers,' he told MailOnline. 

'The public will be angry at having to pay for this when they're not spending time in the UK or contributing to the royal family. The costs will become unsustainable - they will soon have to start paying for themselves.' 

The Taxpayers' Alliance said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex can't have it both ways: either they're working royals with the obligations which that entails, or they're private citizens seeking independence.' 

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

UKIP founder Alan Sked was among social media users who today attacked the idea of British taxpayers footing Meghan and Harry's security costs 

Prince Harry teased his duet with Jon Bon Jovi on a post on the Sussex Royal Instagram page today 

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 

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'. 

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

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.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the move would create fresh challenges for the couple. 

He told MailOnline: 'We knew from polls that the Canadian public did not want to pay for their security and the polls I’ve seen indicate that the British public does not either. They cease to be "Internationally Protected Persons" on March 31 when Megxit occurs.

'Harry remains sixth in line to the throne. He is also an Afghanistan veteran. It is obvious that the British taxpayer will pick up this tab as he, Meghan and Archie are such high profile members of the royal family. 

'Security cannot in any way be linked to personal popularity. Harry has always been such a popular member of the royal family but he has recently changed a good deal.

'Whether they will get the same level of security after March 31 that they are getting now is another matter.' 

The prospect of UK taxpayers footing the bill sparked anger on social media today. 

UKIP founder Alan Sked tweeted: 'So Canada will no longer pay the security bill for Harry and Meghan. We should certainly pay to protect them while in the UK or while representing the Queen abroad. But if they want to be independent celebrities in North America, shouldn't they pay for their own security there?'

Twitter user Colin Murphy commented: 'Of course they should pay. Since marrying Meghan H has become an arrogant money grabber. I used to respect his hard work and genuine care for our "heroes". Now he's disrespecting the British Public to feather Meghan's nest. Go Harry, pay security!'

Taxpayers currently pay £600,000 for the Sussexes' team of royal protection officers, who each cost around £100,000 for their salary, overtime, overseas allowance, pensions, flights and accommodation. 

But costs will rise greatly when the couple move overseas, with an internal memo seen by The Mirror predicting the couple would need at least 12 protection officers to cover them on their trips, which are often made apart. 

The Met Police calculated the total annual bill could rise to £20m, according to the report.  

Graham Smith, from Republic, said Harry and Meghan should have to fund their own security after becoming 'private citizens'. 

'We're currently being asked to pay for their security where they're doing private engagements and earnings, which is unacceptable,' he said. 'They're going to be in Canada and often not together so the costs are going to be astronomical.'

There are precedents covering their own costs, with Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson paying for a team of former Met officers to protect their daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice. 

Princess Diana also paid for her own security costs, although many experts say her decision to abandon Scotland Yard professionals may have contributed to her death in a car chauffeured by a drunk driver. 

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.' 

Buckingham Palace said today: 'We do not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly-funded security.' 

Harry shakes hands with Jon Bon Jovi Abbey Road studios this morning before recording a duet 

The Sussex Royal Instagram page shared a video of Harry singing with the star, but the video cut out before Harry could be heard 

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

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 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.  

'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.

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 

The countdown to Megxit: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last five engagements - including joining the Queen on Commonwealth Day - before their time as working royals ends on March 31

By Mark Duell for MailOnline 

The countdown to Megxit is now on with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex due to step down as working royals in a matter of weeks.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will take part in just five more engagements before they officially step down on March 31 and close their Buckingham Palace office.

However, their final official engagement is expected to be as soon as March 9, when they will join the Queen at Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured leaving Canada House in London on January 7

Both Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, will return to the UK over the next two weeks to undertake their final engagements as working royals.

These will be carried out as part of the royal rota system under the scrutiny of national media - print, radio and television – before they withdraw from it. 

The Sussexes are living in a mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada with baby Archie – but sources say they see their future in the US.

Other events they will attend will include the Endeavour Fund Awards on March 5 and the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall two days later.

The couple have been told to drop their 'Sussex Royal' label, despite setting up a flashy new website to complement their popular Instagram feed under the title.

The Queen and senior officials are believed to have agreed it is no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word 'royal' in their 'branding'.

Harry will retain his military ranks of major, lieutenant commander and squadron leader but will not use his honorary military positions.

The roles will remain unfilled during an agreed 12-month trial period, leaving the door open for him to return. Harry will also remain sixth in line to the throne.

Both Harry and Meghan will return to the UK over the next two weeks to undertake their final engagements as working royals.

Here is a guide to what their final six engagements will be before they step down:

March 5: Endeavour Fund Awards (Harry and Meghan)

Six days later the couple will attend the Endeavour Fund Awards which recognises wounded, injured or sick military personnel and veterans who have gone on to use sport and adventurous challenges as part of their recovery and rehabilitation.

Harry has attended every ceremony since the inaugural one in 2017, which he went to with his brother William. He went to the event in 2018 and 2019 with Meghan. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pose with nominees and guests at the Endeavour Fund Awards at Drapers' Hall in London on February 7, 2019

The Endeavour Fund was led by his and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation which saw them step up the drive to help wounded service personnel.

The Fund has brought about programmes such as Climb2Recovery, led by former Royal Engineer Neil Heritage Team Endeavour Racing, which was started by former Infantryman Stu Croxford and carried on by Royal Engineer veteran Brian Seggie.

Harry speaks to guests at a reception for the Endeavour Fund at St James's Palace in 2015

It has also resulted in an expedition to Oman organised by a veteran Rifleman, Matt Fisher, which saw him and the team spend several days crossing the desert with Fund ambassador Levison Wood.

Harry has said of the Fund: 'I am continually amazed by the tenacity, fortitude and unshakable humour displayed by the men and women who sign up to run races, cross oceans, climb mountains or take on challenges few would even contemplate.'

March 6: Silverstone Experience (Harry)

The following day, Harry will join British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton at the official opening of the Silverstone Experience.

The much-anticipated museum - which the Duke has been backing for years - will tell the story of the past, present and future of British motor racing.

Prince Harry (right) meets racing drivers Jenson Button (left), Lewis Hamilton (second right) and former F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart (second left) at Silverstone in July 2011

Harry official launched the project for the £19.3million visitor attraction in March 2018 and is the patron of the museum in Northamptonshire.

It was built inside a former Wellington bomber hanger located within the grounds of the track and officials hope it more than 500,000 people a year will visit.

Prince Harry, his cousin George McCorquodale and his mother Princess Diana are shown the workings of a Williams F1 car at Silverstone by driver David Coulthard in July 1994

Harry had promised it would be 'an exhilarating attraction, based here at the home of British motorsport and I'm sure it will help to engage children in engineering'. 

Harry is a big F1 fan, and congratulated Hamilton on his title win in November 2014 by telling him on the radio: 'Lewis, you're an absolute legend. Well done mate.' 

March 7: Mountbatten Music Festival (Harry and Meghan)

The couple will also attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, which see the Royal Marines showcase their musicianship and pageantry.

The festival takes places over two days - March 6 and March 7 - at the venue in London, with Harry expected to attend the Saturday evening performance.

The Duke of Sussex at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2019

Last year's concert saw the Marine bands performed a range of different songs, including versions of popular hits by Take That and the Greatest Showman.

The 2019 event also marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day. All proceeds from the concert this year will again go to The Royal Marines Charity and CLIC Sargent.

The Massed Bands of the Royal Marines perform at the Mountbatten Festival of Music last year

This event will also be Harry's last engagement as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, before he loses this title as he steps down as a senior royal.

The couple will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as by the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and the Baron and Baroness of Kilkeel. 

March 8: International Women's Day (Meghan)

Meghan is expected to undertake an engagement to mark International Women's Day on March 8, although no specifics have yet been revealed.

Speaking on a panel to mark International Women's Day last year, she said she would like her first child to be a feminist, regardless of whether they are a girl or a boy.

Meghan speaks at a panel in London in March 2019 with model Adwoa Aboah (left) and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (right) to mark International Women's Day last year

Speaking on a panel to mark International Women's Day, Meghan said she had recently been watching a documentary on feminism.

She told an audience at King's College London last March: 'One of the things they said during pregnancy was 'I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism'.'

In March 2018, Harry and Meghan took part in an International Women's Day event in Birmingham to encourage young women to pursue careers in Stem subjects 

Meghan has spoken about how noticed during a school assignment that an advert for a dishwashing detergent suggested women do all the cleaning.

She complained about it in a letter to Proctor and Gamble when she was aged just 11, and the firm responded by changing a line in the advert.

In 2018, Harry and Meghan took part in an International Women's Day event in Birmingham to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.

March 9: Commonwealth Service (Harry and Meghan)

Harry and Meghan will both attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey the next day with the Queen and other senior members of the Royal Family.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the Queen had requested that Harry and Meghan attend the annual service with the rest of the royals.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left) with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) as they attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 11 last year

The event will likely see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunite with Prince William and Kate, a year after they were pictured smiling together at the 2019 service.

But the Sussexes have severed professional ties with the Cambridges by pulling out of the Kensington Palace household and their joint charitable foundation.

Prince Harry and Meghan arrive for the Commonwealth Day service in London in March 2019

At last year's event, Harry and Meghan were seated beside Prince Andrew, who has left his royal duties after an interview about his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein. 

The 2019 service included performances by the Dhol Foundation drummers, Clean Bandit, William Barton on the didgeridoo, tenor Alfie Boe and the B Positive choir. 

Commonwealth Day has been celebrated since 1977 annually on the second Monday in March, celebrating the historic ties Britain has with the 53 other countries.