Taxpayers shelled out nearly €300,000 for Garda protection of Prince Harry and Meghan – but it was only a fraction of the €24million cost of guarding his royal grandmother.
The figures released under a Freedom Of Information request give an insight into the ring of steel around Queen Elizabeth in 2011 – the first visit of a British monarch to Ireland in a century. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made Ireland their first official overseas trip with their arrival just weeks after hundreds of millions watched them exchange vows on May 19 last year at Windsor Castle.
The Queen’s visit set in train one of the largest security operations in the nation’s history as her carefully planned trip was the first of her long reign which spanned seven Irish presidents.