Key Takeaways
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving Archie and Lilibet to a different school days into the academic year after consulting their security team.
- The couple stressed that the switch does not reflect the school’s care or staff, whom they thanked for their “love, care and effort.”
- The family will receive official risk assessments after returning to Britain, where Harry’s taxpayer-funded police protection has remained restricted since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have barely settled back into life in England, and the security issue that once kept their family away from the U.K. is already forcing a major change.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to a different school just days into the new academic year. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed on Monday, September 14, that the decision followed consultations with their security team—not a problem with the children's school.
“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 spokesperson told CNN.
The couple also made a point of shutting down any suggestion that the sudden switch reflected dissatisfaction with the school. “The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family,” the statement continued. “This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
The disruption comes less than three weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Archie, Lilibet and their dogs following six years based primarily in Montecito. The children had already been enrolled in British schools before the family's Aug. 26 arrival, making their education central to the Sussexes' plan to establish a U.K. home base while maintaining their California residence.
Meghan offered the first glimpse of that new routine over the weekend. Her Instagram video showed Harry and Meghan walking through the English countryside, Lilibet riding her bike and Archie running alongside her shouting, “Go! Go!”—with a noticeably British pronunciation.
Other scenes showed the children fishing with Harry and the family settling into a decidedly muddy version of country life.
Behind those images, however, the security question that has followed Harry for years apparently remains unresolved.
Harry and Meghan are now set to receive official risk assessments following their return to Britain, with Meghan reportedly receiving a government-backed security review for the first time since the couple left royal duties.
Authorities have reportedly requested detailed information about the family's routines, including school runs, frequently visited addresses and regular travel routes, to determine what protection may be necessary.
That process goes directly to an issue Harry has repeatedly said prevented him from bringing Meghan and the children back to his home country. His automatic taxpayer-funded police protection changed after the Sussexes stepped away from senior royal duties in 2020, prompting years of legal challenges.
Harry lost a 2024 challenge over the government's decision and previously lost a separate case seeking permission to personally pay for specialist police protection.
