Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved their children to a new school just two days after they started, following security concerns over the school run.
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, had only spent two days at their original school last week, meeting classmates and settling in, before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reluctantly decided to withdraw them.
Security concerns over the school run
Sources close to the couple stressed that there was no problem with the school itself, with concerns instead focused on the practicalities and security of getting the children there and back each day.
Heavy traffic in the area and the distance between the school and the family’s current home are understood to have put pressure on their small private security team. One incident reportedly made it difficult for their vehicles to remain together in convoy, prompting further concerns about whether the school run could be carried out safely.
Checks during the summer
Harry and Meghan’s security team had carried out checks on the school during the summer, after the couple decided to return to the UK, but were unable to properly assess the school run until the new term began.
A friend of the couple told HELLO!: “It’s a real shame, because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and their parents.
“It was perfect for them in every way and the children really enjoyed their time there. They really wanted to make it work, but they had to make a difficult decision based on the fact that the team couldn’t make the school run operationally secure.”
New school and official statement
The children will now attend another school in the area after visiting for a taster session on Monday, it is believed. Harry was reportedly spotted settling Lilibet into reception, while the couple have also been added to parents’ WhatsApp groups.
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: “The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements.
“The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family.
“This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
Security review and legal battle
The abrupt move comes as Harry continues to push for greater security protection for his family while they are in the UK.
Meghan has also been granted her first government-backed security review since the couple stepped down as working royals in 2020. The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) has asked Harry and Meghan to provide details of their daily routines, including the school run, as part of an assessment of any changes to the threat they face.
Harry has been fighting to have his VIP police protection reinstated since September 2021 and pursued a legal challenge through the courts until May 2025, when he lost his Court of Appeal case. At the time, he told the BBC: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
But last December, it emerged that Ravec’s Risk Management Board would review his case, with the process beginning in July this year.
Security concerns were also raised during the family’s visit to the UK in June, when Meghan pulled out of planned public appearances alongside Harry, with their team citing concerns about security in central London.
In August, Harry and Meghan announced they would be moving back to the UK with their children for an extended period, with Archie and Lilibet subsequently enrolled at a school close to their new home.
The Duke is due to make a number of public appearances in the coming days, although it has not yet been confirmed whether Meghan will join him.
