The Sussexes are doing everything they can to protect themselves. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hired Tyler Perry’s security crew in May after dealing with a series of drone sightings and aggressive paparazzi efforts near their California home. While the pair is reportedly no longer protected by their royal security, their new Hollywood team is certainly a welcome replacement.
Following their decision to step back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family in January, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had to give up plenty of their royal benefits—including their armed guards. Upon moving to the United States in April, Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, were in a bind to find a private security team. Donald J. Trump made his stance on the royal couple clear: “It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection,” he tweeted. “They must pay!”
At first, sources close to the royal family suggested that Prince Charles would pay for the Sussexes’ security. However, a “friend” of the Sussexes recently told Newsweek otherwise. “The Prince of Wales is not paying for security,” they told the outlet. The source also reported that the couple was using Hollywood director Tyler Perry’s security team.
It is rumored that the couple is staying at Perry’s $18 million mansion while they look for something more permanent. While the sprawling hillside home is fairly secluded, it unfortunately hasn’t been enough to prevent paparazzi from trying to get a glimpse of Meghan and Harry’s private space.
“They were out driving in the last month in Los Angeles and were noticed by paparazzi,” a source told the Daily Beast recently. The pursuit that followed nearly caused a “crash,” according to the source. And the Sussexes have been fielding invasions of privacy ever since: “The reality is people are following and tailing them every day,” the source added.
And that includes five reports of drone flyovers above the property where the Sussexes are staying in May alone. The drones reportedly caught aerial views of Prince Harry playing in the yard with the couple’s dogs, as well as attempted photography of the family—including their 1-year-old son, Archie—spending time together in their pool.