Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are speaking out after an “extraordinarily reckless” security incident at their children’s school.
“There is a world of difference between legitimate media activity and photographers walking the perimeter of a school, stopping to look into the grounds and monitoring children as they go about their day,” a spokesperson for Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, told Us in a statement on Wednesday, September 30, alleging it is “concerning” how paparazzi seemed “unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school.”
The Sussexes’ rep continued, “To behave in this manner in these particular circumstances, and so soon after the incident at RAF Fairford, demonstrates an extraordinary lack of judgment. Whatever photographs they may have been seeking, this was not only an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of children; it was an irresponsible and ill-considered way to conduct themselves in the vicinity of a school.”
Page Six reported two men, later identified as photographers for a European press agency, were spotted around the grounds of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s school. (A separate similar incident took place at the RAF Fairford base 48 hours earlier.)
Us has reached out for comment.
Harry and Meghan recently relocated from Montecito, California, to the U.K. with their children after previously stepping down from their senior royal duties in 2020. Upon the family of four’s move across the pond, Harry and Meghan enrolled their kids in a local school.
News broke earlier this month that Archie, 7, and Lili, 5, changed schools after two days following different security concerns.
“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 rep for the Sussexes told Hello! on September 14. “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 at the time, “This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
Days later, The Sun reported that Meghan’s phone number was leaked from a parents’ WhatsApp group.
While Harry and Meghan have not publicly detailed their reasons for moving back to England, King Charles III has made it clear the couple are still not working royals.
“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” Charles, 77, wrote in a letter sent to Harry and Meghan’s team, obtained by multiple news outlets in early September. “In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
The king continued, “It is well known that, in January 2020, the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family. This position, distinct from the State and Royal duties undertaken by the working Royal Family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.”
