Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have decided to switch schools for their two children just days into the academic year, amid security considerations around the school run.
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“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 the couple said in a statement shared with CNN.
“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.”
After six years in the United States, Harry and Meghan relocated their family to Britain in late August, with plans to spend “an extended period in the U.K. this autumn.”
The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, attended the U.K. school for just two days before they were pulled out over security concerns surrounding their daily commute.
The distance and heavy traffic along the original school run route raised concerns among the couple’s private security team about the challenges of keeping the journey secure.
The move comes on the heels of earlier reports Monday that Meghan would receive her first government-backed security review since stepping down from her role as a senior member of the royal family, per The Telegraph.
Both Harry and Meghan will soon undergo an official risk assessment in light of their recent return to the U.K., conducted by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee.
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As part of the assessment, the couple has been asked to provide authorities with complete details of their daily routines, including regular travel routes, school runs and frequently visited addresses to evaluate whether there have been any changes to the level of threat they face.
Harry previously lost an appeal last year after challenging a High Court ruling over his rights to receive publicly funded security during visits to the U.K.
Last week, King Charles III confirmed that Harry and Meghan will remain nonworking members of the royal family, underscoring their status as private citizens moving forward.
The letter, issued by Buckingham Palace’s most senior officer, the Lord Chamberlain, on behalf of the king, clarified that there has been no change to the couple’s position within the royal family and that they remain unable to use the titles of “His and Her Royal Highness.”
“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,” the letter said.
“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” it added. “In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
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