Will Harry and Meghan get US-taxpayer funded Secret Service protection in LA? Couple will have to ask for 'special help' and the final decision could rest with President Trump as Canadians bid the couple and their security costs farewell

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry face having to ask President Trump for 'special help' if they want Secret Service protection for their new life in LA, as Canadians bid the couple and their security costs farewell. 

Trump will have the final say over whether the couple can have diplomatic protection in the US, because Harry will no longer be classed as an 'international protected person' when he completes the final phase of Megxit next week, according to a royal source. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and ten-month-old baby Archie made a last minute dash across the border from Canada to the US this week to start their new life in LA.  

Questions are now being asked about who will foot the bill for their new Hollywood lifestyles.  

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will need to ask for 'special help' from President Trump if they want Secret Service protection for their new life in LA, according to a source

The couple caused quite a stir earlier this year when they made the shock announcement that they were quitting Royal life and leaving the UK.

The Megxit process will finally be complete on Tuesday when the couple will stand down as senior Royals.

A royal source said the pair's stepping down removes any obligation on the US government to pay for their security. 

The UK and US have a long standing reciprocal agreement when it comes to bodyguards protecting diplomats and members of the Royal family.

President Trump's Secret Service agents would have been allowed to carry their weapons on his state visit and likewise bodyguards for the Queen and Prince Charles when they made official trips to the US. 

Trump will have the final say over whether the couple can have diplomatic protection in the US, because Harry will no longer be classed as an 'international protected person' when he completes the final phase of Megxit next week

But Harry's exit from the Royal family means he is no longer considered an 'international protected person' and so these rules don't apply. 

The couple would now need to rely on President Trump to make an exception to cover the costs, the source said.  

‘It will be down to Harry or his Met Police protection officers to ask for help,' they said.

‘There is a reciprocal agreement between the US that allows protection officers to carry their weapons. But Harry is no longer a serving royal and that is why his protection in Canada from the Mounties was withdrawn.

‘Someone is going to have to ask the State Department, and ultimately the decision rests with Donald Trump, for assistance. Harry cannot live in the US without armed protection.’  

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and ten-month-old baby Archie made a last minute dash across the border from Canada to the US this week to start their new life in LA

Given Meghan's criticism of the US leader – and snubbing him at a Buckingham Palace banquet – he might not feel so generous to the pair.

Harry has also been disparaging of Trump saying he has 'blood on his hands' during a prank telephone call when he was fooled into thinking he was talking to climate activist Greta Thunberg. 

The couple will now have to plead with Trump to cover the costs.

If he refuses they will have to pay for private security or the UK will continue to foot the bill. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said Canada would not pay for the Sussexes' security

Under US law only citizens and Permanent Residents, or Green Card holders, are eligible to own a firearm.

Private security guards, who are often ex-military or law enforcement officers, are permitted to be armed.

However Royal experts do not believe Harry will turn to a private security firm. 

The LAPD and California Governor Newsom's Office did not return a request from DailyMail.com about their involvement in the couple's security plans.

Canadian officials repeatedly said they would not pay for Meghan and Harry's security when the Sussexes quit the UK and made the move to Canada. 

Their protection from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police outside their home in Vancouver was due to cease on the same day that their status as working members of the royal family ends on March 31. 

And it seems some Canadian residents are glad to see the back of the couple, when it emerged they had upped sticks and moved to the US for a new life.  

Some took to social media celebrating the news, with one person tweeting: 'Well good news Canada, Harry and Meghan have p**ed off to LA !!!' 

Some Canadian residents are glad to see the back of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry who upped sticks and moved to the US for a new life

In one thread, a Canadian said the public had been 'Markled' and called on the US to follow Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's lead to refuse to pay for their security.

'Simply put, Canada got Markled. #MeghanMarkle and #JustHarry have already blocked @JustinTrudeau's phone number. Hopefully @realDonaldTrump @POTUS and @GavinNewsom will clamp down on these two #Grifters and finally tell them 'NO'. #NoTitlesForTheSussexes #Megxit #PayForSecurity,' they tweeted. 

Others were sad to see them go but voiced anger that the couple had contributed nothing to their temporary home in the short time they have been there.

'Not shocked, not surprised, but grossly disappointed and maybe a little bit angry. Their entire relationship the have given us literally NOTHING, not a picture not a parade! I don't ever want to see them again, quite frankly. Out tax money has bigger priorities,' one person said.

Another Canadian tweeted 'we got played', with someone responding: 'Wow, they really Kawhi'd us like that.'   

Some Canadians voiced anger that the couple had contributed nothing to their temporary home in the short time they have been there

They appeared to be referencing basketball star Leonard Kawhi, who became one of Canada's most popular athletes last year when he led the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship but then disappointed fans by jumping ship to LA to play for the Clippers after just one season. 

The couple's move seemed to backtrack on previous claims that they would not live in America as long as Donald Trump was president. 

Some Twitter users slammed the 'hypocrisy': 'So Harry and Meghan are moving to LA. Ah remember when they said they wouldn't move to America while Trump was president. Funny what regular work does isn't it. Shameless hypocrisy.'

Other people took to social media to question the decision to fly across borders as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. 

Flight bans have been ramping up and people have been told to avoid non-essential travel in recent weeks. 

Other people took to social media to question the decision to fly across borders as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic

Last week, Canada and the US agreed to shut their shared border to try to slow the spread.  

Back in Harry's birthplace of the UK, his father Prince Charles has tested positive for the deadly virus. 

Twitter users blasted the couple for flying baby Archie to another country during this fraught time - pointing to reports that they wouldn't fly their son to the UK to see his elderly great-grandparents because of the risk of the virus.

'Wouldn't fly Archie over here with them so the Queen, Phillip etc could see him 'because of the Coronavirus' But apparently quite happy to fly him to LA,' one person tweeted. 

Another said: 'They are crazy! Move from relatively safe Canada into the highest rusk country? And isn't that border closed?' 

One person said they should return to the UK and support the country and Royal family during the crisis: 'Just think what Meghan and Harry could do for their shattered reputations by coming home at this time to support the national effort against corona - and the Royal family.'  

However some LA residents were elated at the news that they can now call the couple their new neighbors. 

One excited resident could not wait to bump into them in the local area.

'Yes!!!! Perfect timing. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Archie have a new place to call home,' they posted. 

Over in LA, some residents were elated at the news that they can now call the couple their new neighbors

'Can't wait to see Meghan and Harry at Whole Foods in September when we're still only allowed out for essentials.'

While others invited the Sussexes to move to their neighborhoods instead.

'Instead of looking for a home in LA, I think #HarryandMeghan should consider the Bay Area, specifically Silicon Valley. I for one would be excited to welcome them to Palo Alto,' one American tweeted. 

The couple took a private jet to California just before non-essential travel between the two countries was suspended as the US' northern border shuttered in desperate efforts to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control.

They have long planned to set up in the duchess's home state - where her mother Doria lives – but were forced to bring plans forward because of the outbreak.

The couple left behind their borrowed £10million mansion on Canada's tranquil Vancouver Island to join their team of Hollywood agents and publicists, who they have hired to launch their new careers.

Harry and Meghan's exact whereabouts is unknown, but it has been reported they are 'locking down' in an exclusive gated community in LA. 

Insiders have claimed the move was triggered by concerns over tax from earning money and keeping residence in both places, as well as mounting fears that they would lose their personal security in Canada.  

Questions are mounting over who will pay for their security in the US

While security might prove problematic for Harry, gaining residency in the US will not be a problem.

As the husband of US citizen Meghan she can petition for Harry to be allowed to live in the country.

Applications for spouses can take up to 10 months, but given the couple's high profile their paperwork would likely be processed much quicker by immigration officials.

As the founder of the Invictus Games Harry could even apply for an O-visa that would allow him to work and live in the country until the Green Card is approved.

The visa category is used by sportsmen, actors and businessmen and each has to demonstrate an outstanding ability in their field.

As the Invictus Games for injured servicemen is known worldwide Harry could claim he meets the criteria for the visa that allows him residency for up to three years.