I’ve generally avoided covering the endless back-and-forth over the Sussex family’s security since they announced their return to Britain. Every time I hear anything, I just feel sort of disgusted by how careless everyone has been, up to and including the Home Office, RAVEC, the Met Police, King Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan. Granted, I’m positive that Harry and Meghan have their private security with them in the UK, but Harry’s volte-face on police protection has been shocking. Those people have spent YEARS screwing him over and controlling him over security, and he’s just rewarded his tormentors by delivering his wife and children back on his tormentors’ home turf. Well, the Telegraph had another article which was partially sourced from Team Sussex (don’t @ me, some of this is absolutely coming from Harry’s camp). It’s all about how there are security concerns about the school run. This is, in my opinion, Harry publicly applying pressure on the Home Office.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s biggest security concern on returning to the UK is the school run, The Telegraph understands. The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, will start at their new British prep school next week. However, the family is still waiting for answers from the Home Office about whether they will receive any form of taxpayer-funded police protection in the longer term.
The Duke was told in July that the risk assessment for which he had long fought had finally been conducted. Since then, he has sent multiple letters to the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) and the Home Secretary, pleading for answers about its findings. He continues to believe that he is being denied protection as a form of “punishment” for quitting royal duties and that the delay in responding to his change in circumstances is a form of “game play”.
The daily school run presents specific challenges because of the repetitive nature of shuttling to and from the same place every day at the same time.
“It is absolutely the biggest area of concern,” one friend said. “It creates the most dangers.”
The Duchess once suggested that she would never be able to do the school run in the UK without it turning into a media frenzy. While that is unlikely to be the case, the couple remain concerned about unregulated paparazzi, international media outlets and images circulated on social media as well as the threat from “lone wolf” actors intent on harm.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s three children are thought to benefit from discreet protection from armed officers while they are at school. However, they have been left alone to enjoy school life in privacy, like any other pupil.
Despite relocating to the UK with their nanny, the Duke and Duchess intend to continue to do the school run themselves as often as possible, just as they did in Montecito. The couple do not plan to publicly disclose the name of their chosen school, although they are aware that as soon as the children return – and letters will be sent to parents – it will become widely known. Various policies and procedures have been put in place, with teachers given special training.
Scott Hamer, who worked in the Metropolitan Police’s royalty and specialist protection unit for 14 years until 2022, said the school run would always prove a headache.
“The whole point of protection is to keep the diary as tight as possible, to ensure people who might want to do bad things do not have the opportunity to do so,” he said. “With the school run, you can vary the route as much as you like but the start and end point will almost always be the same. It’s really, really difficult.”
Sure. I agree, the school run is concerning. I agree, the Sussexes should get some police protection, especially when it’s about their kids. But for the life of me, I do not understand why Harry and Meghan have decided that this is the way to handle this particular security issue. I hope the kids stay safe – not just from paparazzi desperate for any sighting, but from the actual security threats.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
