Prince Harry Meghan school move criticism followed the decision to pull Archie and Lilibet from their original school after just two days, with the move driven by security concerns about the school run. The children met their classmates last week before their parents withdrew them and arranged a new school in the area.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess 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 spokesman also said, “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.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The move came after bodyguards for the Sussexes checked the first school over the summer holidays, but they were not able to properly recce the school run until the first day of term. Heavy traffic in the area and the distance between the school and where the family were living were thought to be contributing factors. One incident made it difficult for the vehicles to stay in convoy.
Archie is seven and Lili is five. They had visited the new school for a taster session on Monday, and Prince Harry was spotted settling Lili into reception.
Ravec security review
The school change sits inside Harry’s wider security dispute in the UK. Meghan has been granted her first government-backed security review since departing royal life in 2020, and Harry and Meghan have been asked by Ravec to provide details of their daily routines, including the school run, so the risk assessment can evaluate any changes to the threat they face.
Harry lost his case at the Court of Appeal in May 2025, after beginning to battle for reinstated VIP police protection in 2021. Last December, it emerged that the Risk Management Board would review his case, and that review began in July this year.
Parents' WhatsApp groups
The couple have now been added to the parents' WhatsApp groups at the new school, a small but practical sign that the move is settled for the moment. Which school the children left and which school they joined are not named, but the sequence is clear: a school that felt right for the children was still not workable once the security team tested the route in real time.
That leaves the children in a new routine, and it leaves Harry and Meghan with a live security process that still reaches into ordinary family logistics such as the school run.
