LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have moved their two children to a new school over security concerns, a spokesperson said Tuesday, just weeks after the family returned to the U.K. to make a fresh start.
“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 said in a statement.
Prince Archie, 7, and Princess
Lilibet, 5, had only just started the new school year in England after the family relocated from California in late August.
British media reported that the distance of the school run and the heavy traffic on the route were among the concerns raised by the couple and their security team. The family is living at a private, non-royal residence outside of London.
“This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there," the statement added.
The news followed reports that Harry and Meghan were awaiting a new risk assessment from the government committee that reviews protection of VIPs, including a decision on whether the family should be entitled to publicly funded security now that they live in the U.K.
Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago, saying they wanted to earn their own living. They later signed lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.
Although relations with the rest of the royal family have soured since then, Harry has recently expressed an interest in reconciliation so he could spend more time with his father, King Charles III.
Harry has fought a long-running battle with Britain's government for the restoration of publicly funded police protection, which was canceled when the couple gave up their royal roles.
He had previously said he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K.” without a security guarantee.
Earlier this month, the king reiterated that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family and would continue to refrain from using formal royal titles, such as his royal highness and her royal highness, as they have done since 2020. The couple said they were surprised by the way the monarch issued that statement because they were given little time to review it.
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