LONDON — The children of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have changed school just days into the new academic year, with the couple citing security concerns.
Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, were enrolled in an undisclosed school when their parents moved back to Britain from California last month.
But just days after they started at the new school, they have now switched to another.
“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,” a spokesman for Harry and Meghan said in a statement.
“The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family,” the statement added. “This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
Hello! Magazine first reported the story.
NBC News royal contributor Emily Nash cited specific concerns the couple appeared to have.
The school “was at a fair distance from the place where they’re staying in the U.K. and they weren’t able to properly protect themselves in heavy traffic,” Nash, who is also royal editor for Hello! Magazine, said in an interview.
“On the first day of term, they realized it was going to be quite a challenging journey for them and they risked sitting in traffic where they were potentially exposed to greater threats,” she said.
The news comes as the couple await a verdict on their request for publicly funded security protection.
A government committee was due to review whether to provide security for the couple now that their living arrangements in the United Kingdom are more permanent.
The location of their new home has not been disclosed and questions remain over what arrangements will be in place given the protracted legal battle between Harry and the British government over the issue.
The family moved back to the United Kingdom for an “extended period” of time after six years living in Montecito, California.
Their decision to “step back” from frontline royal duties and leave the U.K. in 2020 sent shock waves around the world.
Since then, royal relations have been publicly strained, with allegations of racism and bullying made by the couple in their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and in Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
There were new signs of strain last week, when the couple indicated they had been left “surprised” by a letter on behalf of King Charles III that reiterated they would remain private individuals and nonworking members of the royal family during their renewed stint in the U.K.
Earlier this week, Meghan shared online a series of family photos of their new life in England, showcasing her children fishing on a boat, riding bikes and taking woodland walks with their dog.
On Tuesday morning, she paid tribute to her husband on his 42nd birthday, saying that he was “simply the best.”
