Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Start School in Britain — But a Warning to Parents Raises New Security Questions
Warning letters have been sent to parents with children enrolled in schools near Prince Harry and Meghan’s new home in the Cotswolds.
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, will begin at their new British school within days, just a week after the family moved from California to the UK.
Warning letters have been sent to families in the community where Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are starting school. @meghan
The two Sussex children have been enrolled in a mixed independent facility; Prince Archie will enter the first year of the preparatory school while Lilibet will start year one at the pre-prep.
As the community prepares for the start of the new school year, locals have been issued warnings about the strict rules surrounding the Sussex children.
“It then reminded parents and carers not to photograph or film other children without permission, or share photographs, information or details about pupils or their families on social media,” royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Page Six.
All children should be able to enjoy school life in “a safe, happy, and private environment”, the letters allegedly said.
“The message sent to families essentially said that, from time to time, some families joining the school may attract a greater level of public or media interest,” Schofield said.
Similar signs warning against photography were recently erected around Eton College where Prince George will begin next week. The 13-year-old will start high school at Eton following in the footsteps of his father the Prince of Wales and uncle Prince Harry.
Schofield’s podcast, Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, also heard from a source who said Prince Harry and Meghan had “approached multiple schools” before returning to Britain.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will start at a mixed independent school following the family’s return to the UK from the US after six years. Instagram/@Meghan
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Britain last Wednesday on board a private plane which landed at Birmingham Airport. Prince Harry and Meghan were met by hired security rather than a taxpayer-funded police convoy.
The duke remains in a battle with the UK government over his family’s security.
In August, he wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking her to take a personal role in determining whether his family receive close police protection, The Times reported.
Ravec, the independent body overseen by the Home Office that decides which politicians, members of the royal family and other high-profile figures receive police protection, removed Harry’s government-funded detail when he and Meghan quit their roles as senior working royals in 2020.
What we know so far: Royal reporter breaks down Prince Harry and Meghan’s move
The Home Office has ordered a further review of the risks that Harry and his family face but no decision has been made.
A source close to Prince Harry told The Times: “His security team cannot even carry a cricket bat as a means of defence − all they’d have is angry rhetoric and their physical strength if someone attacked him or his family.
“With his return home, the game has changed: the first duty of a government is to protect its citizens and that includes Harry, his wife and his children. It’s not about the role he has here − it’s about the risk he and his family face, and he cannot simply stop being the son of the king.”
Private bodyguards employed by the Sussexes in the UK are not allowed to carry weapons.
The Duchess of Sussex is said to be “nervous” about doing the school run as the family’s security has not been decided on by the UK government. Instagram/@meghan
The school run is expected be one of the major challenges for security, as drop-offs and pick-ups are often at the same time and place each day.
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The duchess is said to have concerns because her family’s security has not yet been decided on.
Meghan previously spoke about her concerns about having the school run turn into a paparazzi spectacle. AP
“The school run is a tricky issue and I understand they are nervous about it,” a friend told The Sun.
Meghan previously suggested that she would never be able to do the school run in the UK without it turning into a paparazzi spectacle.
In an article for The Cut, the journalist described Meghan’s worries: “she’d never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures”.
Meghan recently shared a number of holiday photos taken in the UK, including here at Althorp, the ancestral home of the late Princess Diana. @meghan
Meghan herself said: “Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s new school is expected to be expensive, with some suggestions the Sussexes could be paying $100,000.
“The Sussexes could be looking at fees ranging from around £28,000 (approx. $52k) a year at the smaller, more basic country prep schools, to upwards of £50,000 ($190k) for two children attending a top day school in the Cotswolds,” Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide told The Times.
“Compared with the school Harry himself attended in London, where fees for two children could be around £70,000 (approx. $135k) a year, that starts to look like rather good value.”
Prince Harry is due to make his first appearance this week since returning home with a number of charity engagements in the diary.
