On Monday, the Sussexes’ spokesperson confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan have removed their children from their British school after only two days. According to the spox and “Sussex insiders,” there was an incident on the school run, and the Sussexes’ private security think that this particular school run is a huge risk. We also heard that the private security people were only able to check the route and traffic over the summer, which obviously would not mimic the kind of traffic they would face once school began. Basically, it’s yet more evidence that this whole move was probably not as well-thought-out as Harry and Meghan would have us believe. Obviously, the Daily Mail had additional details:
Meghan and Harry had only been able to test the route to Archie and Lilibet’s new school during the summer holidays after deciding to return to Britain, and were alarmed by the traffic on the first day of term. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pulled their children out of the private school after just two days when their convoy became separated during the busy school run, it emerged today. Sources close to the couple claimed their security fears were heightened whenever their vehicles were stopped in traffic, leaving them ‘sitting ducks’.
Their private protection team had been unable to properly assess the journey from the family’s new home to the unnamed school during term time, with the commute taking up to an hour each way this week. Archie and Lilibet spent just 48 hours at the prep school before their parents ‘reluctantly’ withdrew them on the advice of their security team, who warned that the commute was placing their unit under ‘strain’.
Friends of the couple have stressed that the issue was not with the school itself. Instead, Archie and Lili, seven and five, were taken out because of the lengthy commute from their new home and heavy traffic on the way to school. One source close to him has claimed that a worrying incident this week when the Sussexes’ vehicles were unable to stay together in convoy had alarmed the couple.
Prince Harry, who turned 42 today, was reportedly seen settling Lili into reception, and the couple were added to WhatsApp groups. Parents at the school had also spotted Harry taking one of the children through the gates. One mother with two children at the school said Harry and Meghan’s decision to send their children there had been a coup and had excited many parents. But she added: ‘Parents at the school are completely baffled. You don’t need to be an expert to know how congested that area is. It’s one of the worst places to drive in the UK.’
Another mother said of the slow school run: ‘This was obviously going to happen.’
But a Labour MP suggested that he believes the Sussexes have been left exposed. Mike Tapp, who represents Dover and Deal in Kent, said: ‘Nearly three weeks after their arrival, the King’s son, Meghan, and their children remain without protection. Whatever the eventual outcome, there are serious questions about how this process has been handled. In the cold light of day, there should be a proper review to ensure decisions of this importance are made swiftly, independently and on the basis of risk.’
Archie and Lili will now join another school in the area after visiting for a taster session on Monday. Harry and Meghan’s security are said to be much happier with that choice as the commute is shorter.
You know what this blows up? The whole narrative that Harry was desperate for his kids to experience a certain kind of British private school, and that Harry has super-strong feelings about British education in general. This move was clearly not about what schools the kids attend, because they found a much more convenient school change in a matter of days and they’re treating it as no biggie, like one school is the same as the other. I would also argue that this blows up the narrative that Harry and Meghan had been planning out this move for the past year – why was their private security only checking on the school route over the summer if the Sussexes knew they were going to enroll the kids in that school during the previous school term? I have to say, the moms quoted in this Mail piece are correct too – “This was obviously going to happen.” I’ve felt that same way about everything that’s happened around Harry and Meghan in the past month. All of this chaos and drama… it was obviously going to happen.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
