Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved their two children to a new school, just two days after the start of the academic year, following concerns raised about their security. According to Hello! magazine, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet were transferred after heavy traffic on the surrounding roads created serious difficulties for the family's small protection team.
A spokesperson for the couple said the decision to move the children was taken after discussions with the family's security team about practical difficulties with the existing arrangements.
The problem with the daily commute
The family lives some distance from the school, which made the daily journey difficult in practice. A particular sticking point was that, because of traffic congestion, the security vehicles struggled to travel together as a single convoy.
Before the school year began, Harry and Meghan's team had carried out the necessary security checks at the school itself. However, they had not been able to test the children's actual daily route under real conditions.
A source close to the couple said it was a real shame, because the children had completely loved the school, their classmates and their teachers. The source said the school had been ideal for them in every way and that the children had genuinely enjoyed their time there. The family had wanted to find a way to make it work, the source added, but were forced into a difficult decision because the security team could not make the route to school operationally safe.
'Excellent care' for the children
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stressed that the decision had nothing to do with the school itself or how the children had been treated there.
The spokesperson said the parents remained extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they had shown their family. The decision, the spokesperson added, should in no way be read as criticism of the school or of the excellent care the children received there.
According to an earlier report by Page Six, the school is a private institution with annual tuition fees exceeding $35,000. Archie and Lilibet have already been enrolled at a school closer to the family home, and Hello! reported that Harry was seen with his daughter at the reception of the new school. The Spare author and Meghan have also already been added to the WhatsApp groups used by parents at the new school.
A new twist in Harry's security fight
The switch comes as Prince Harry continues to seek police protection funded by British taxpayers, despite no longer being a working member of the royal family, according to The Telegraph. Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and are not currently entitled to state-funded security.
Last week, a review of their protection arrangements was approved following the couple's return to England the previous month. As part of that process, they were asked to hand over details of their daily routines and movements, including the children's school run.
Returning to Britain to be near King Charles
Harry and Meghan are now based in the United Kingdom as what has been described as private citizens with commercial and charitable interests, following their return to the country last month. According to Page Six, one reason for the move was the couple's wish to be closer to King Charles III, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.
On Sunday, Meghan gave a more personal glimpse of the family's new life in England on social media, posting pictures of her children running in the countryside.
