Graham Smith told Express.co.uk that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to walk away from the Royal Family will not make a difference to the UK taxpayer as the money saved will be reinvested into other members of the monarchy. Republic is an organisation that campaigns for Queen Elizabeth II to be replaced by a democratically elected head of state and for the monarchy to be abolished.
Mr Smith said: “Ultimately, it does not make any difference to the UK taxpayer because the cost of the monarchy continues to go up every year.
“Money not spent on Meghan and Harry will be spent on others.
“It is a good thing in the sense that the fewer royals there are the better.
“But ultimately, the money will be spent on other royals rather than Harry and Meghan.”
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However, this view was strongly criticised by royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
Mr Fitzwilliams stated that the extra cost of the monarchy is due to the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace and this will not be met by the UK taxpayer.
He said: “The core cost of the monarchy is 74p per person per year excluding security.
“The much-needed refurbishment of Buckingham Palace brings the cost up to £1.24.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family in March 2020.
The couple moved to California with their son Archie following their split from the monarchy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gone on to secure lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify.
The Queen and the couple are set to review the Sussexes role in relation to the Royal Family as it approaches 12 months since the couple left the monarchy.
