Providing security to celebrities or public figures is quite a task for bodyguards and so is meeting finances of privately hired security guards for public figures. It depends on the vulnerability and budget of the person to estimate how much they need to spend on their security. While Prince Harry had been a source of headlines with growing tensions with the royalty on one hand, so is he making headlines for his security being removed as the royal member and subsequent security threats and issues he has been facing.
It all started when, while residing in Canada he was removed from his security on short notice, leaving the prince in quite a surprise. To crown this, his whereabouts revealed by the media left him even more vulnerable and in a decisive situation. Until then he had been granted security by the Metropolitan police, responsible for providing security to royals around the globe backed by the Canadian Police. However, the sudden removal of his security and the revelation of his whereabouts had him decide the future of him and his family. Thanks to Tyler Perry, a movie producer and a billionaire who offered them his house on hill top along with security in LA California which gave them breathing space to make their own arrangements meanwhile.
After they have moved from Tyler Perry House to their mansion in Montecito, California, they have to bear the security costs all by themselves. Since the news of their arrival in the US came, President Trump had already refused to use taxpayers money in providing the prince and his family security. In a statement later from Prince Harry they announced that he will pay for his private security himself. Harry and Maghan have also signed deals with Netflix and Spotify to pay their security bills. According to Forbes the Sussexes security bill could reach upto 2 to 3 million dollars annually. Some other sources have reported costs even higher than these.
All of this when done in the best possible way keeps on taking the rates high. The higher the security risk, the higher the costs. But what about if the security risk comes from inside? There are incidents in which the security breach was done by the hired security heads themselves. Or any trusted acquaintance can prove to be venomous. Such an incident has been reported in one of Harry’s neighbors although they had round the clock security.
The question is how does this security work for high profile personas making it so costly. It is known that their Montecito mansion covers an area of 7.4 acres. So there’s this land so big to be protected, but that is not all. Of course, they don’t just need the land to be secured. They themselves need high class security for any visit they make. They need special vehicles to escort them and their destination should be made safe before their arrival. Their routes shall be guarded to avoid or confuse the expected paparazzi or tabloids following them. Prince Harry is typically worried for his family as his mother’s tragic death was the outcome of a paparazzi chase.
And what do the bodyguards have to do differently when they are on duty with the public figures? When securing the public figures the security teams have to be more alert as any leaked news about their visit to anywhere can lead to paparazzi chases. The security teams with them stay in touch with social media to know beforehand if any such thing could happen. The security guards must also be intelligent enough to distract the paparazzi and create a situation, for example where the paparazzi end up chasing the wrong car.
Another interesting security fact here is the purchase of the property in Harry’s own name. The Chief executive of the World Protection Group has commented that the purchase of the property in the prince’s own name is not difficult for intruders to find out, which was later on taken into account by the Prince’s security.
It is also that they have faced different security threats since they moved to their Montecito home. One media source (telegraph) reported that police had been called at their home nine times. One of the incidents was a security breach by a man twice. First he was given a warning and the second time he was arrested. So this required revisiting if there was a security weakness or something. At Tyler Perry’s house too Harry and Meghan found the security was insufficient and they had additional security screens displayed.
In the popular Oprah Winfrey Interview Meghan revealed she had made efforts for Harry’s security by writing letters and explaining how Harry’s security is more crucial than that of even hers and her son. Harry also had been alarmed at the removal of his security as he was born with risk. However the circumstances have been evolving or may evolve, the option of private security is the hope for sussexs in any case.