Who should pay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security?

Harry and Meghan knew the risk when they left the royals

Question: Who should pay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security?
Position1 of 3›: Harry and Meghan should pay for their own security
Argument1 of 2›: Harry and Meghan knew the risk when they left the royals

The move to leave the Royal family was momentous, and not a decision taken lightly. The couple knew the possible outcomes when they chose to renounce their status. They should have anticipated paying their own security costs.

The argument

It is one thing if Harry and Meghan had been stripped of their royal titles for no reason, but quite another when they willingly gave them up. The distinction is what settles the question of who pays. A claim on public protection would be strong if the risk had been imposed on them and the status removed against their will; it is weak when the status was surrendered by choice. No one forced the couple to leave the royal family — in fact, it appears that the decision upset the Queen. The Duke and Duchess should have known what to expect when they dropped all of their duties and titles, because the protection they enjoyed was never attached to them personally. It came with the role, as the counterpart of the obligations the role carried, and a person who declines the obligations cannot reasonably retain the compensations. Having grown up under the veil of royalty, Harry should know that the rest of the world does not enjoy the protection, celebrity, and privilege that his birthright granted him; he is in a better position than almost anyone to have understood exactly what he was giving up. The same goes for Meghan, who married into a very well-known and public environment, where it should come as no surprise that they would be subject to media and public scrutiny. It is no secret that the royals live in a very unique context, and that context is a bargain rather than a gift: the security exists because the duties expose them to risk on the institution's behalf. Once the duties end, the reason for the public to bear the cost ends with them. It should therefore come as no shock that they would lose some of the privileges of royalty after deciding to leave their duties and titles behind, and Harry and Meghan should pay for their own security.

Premises

[P1]Those who voluntarily give up a privileged status should expect to lose the privileges that come with it. [P2] Harry and Meghan willingly chose to leave the royal family and its duties behind. [P3] Royal-funded security is one of the privileges tied to active royal status, and they knew this when they left. [C] Therefore, Harry and Meghan should pay for their own security rather than expect others to cover it.

Counter-arguments

The tabloid's obsession with Harry and Meghan made it impossible for them to remain a part of the royal family. The public scrutiny—and at times, prejudice—directed at the couple meant that they needed to leave their royal status behind. They may know that means a loss of privileges, but it can hardly be suggested that requiring security is a privilege. No, average celebrities do not receive public funding for security, but the average celebrity is not also a member of a national government. Through their royal ties, Harry and Meghan's status is different than most celebrities, and therefore should be treated differently.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The media and public scrutiny of the couple forced their hand. [Rejecting P2] They had no choice in their status, as it was Harry's birthright.