Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Change Schools in the U.K. After Just 2 Days Over Security Concerns
“The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family,” the spokesperson tells PEOPLE
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NEED TO KNOW
- Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are switching schools two days after starting the new term
- A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tells PEOPLE, “The decision for the children to move schools was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements”
- Getting Archie and Lili settled in “has been, and remains, their focus. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right,” a source previously said about the family’s recent return to the U.K.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have switched schools just two days into the new term.
The children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — 7-year-old Archie and 5-year-old Lilibet — began classes in the U.K. last week shortly after their family’s move back to Harry’s home country. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved their kids to a different school amid security concerns.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE, “The decision for the children to move schools was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements.”
“The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family,” the spokesperson adds. “This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
Hello! magazine reported that the security concerns stem from heavy traffic in the area and the distance between the school and their home, rather than the school itself. The outlet said that concerns were elevated after an incident “made it difficult for their vehicles to stay in convoy.”
Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bodyguards checked the school over the summer, the school run was not able to be assessed until classes were back in session, Hello! adds.
A friend told the outlet, “It’s a real shame, because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and their parents. It was perfect for them in every way, and the children really enjoyed their time there. They really wanted to make it work, but they had to make a difficult decision based on the fact that the team couldn’t make the school run operationally secure.”
It was also revealed on Monday, Sept. 14, that Prince Harry and Meghan will have a security assessment imminently by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), an independent U.K. Home Office committee that determines who receives taxpayer-funded police protection. The couple lost their automatic police security in the U.K. after they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, but their move back to the U.K. has sparked a new assessment, the first for Meghan in six years.
Getting Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet settled in “has been, and remains, their focus. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right,” a source close to Harry and Meghan recently told PEOPLE.
“There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world, and it’s been really busy getting the kids settled,” the source added. “Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back.”
Archie and Lili’s education also played a role in the family’s decision to relocate back to the U.K. for an extended period after living in California since 2020. A source close to Prince Harry previously told PEOPLE that returning to Britain was something he had been “thinking about for a while,” while another source says the Duke of Sussex wants his children “to understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from.”
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Harry appeared to foreshadow the return to Britain during a conversation with singer Joss Stone at the WellChild Awards in September 2025. Stone — who attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding — had recently returned to Britain with her own family after spending years living in Nashville, Tennessee.
Harry attended the annual London event in support of WellChild, the children’s charity he has served as patron of since 2007. During the evening, he spoke with Stone about her family’s decision to move back.
“He also asked about how we were settling back in and was genuinely interested in our move home. He’s just very warm and down to earth, as always. Maybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice,” the English singer told Hello! magazine.
“He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,” added Stone, a mother of four. “It was nice to share that with him because it’s exactly why we felt drawn to come back — for the kids to grow up surrounded by family, friends and a strong sense of belonging and, most importantly, in a safe environment.”
Over the weekend, Meghan shared the first glimpse of the family’s new chapter in Britain, posting an Instagram video captioned with emojis of the Union Jack flag and a red heart.
In the series of clips, Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lilibet are seen walking through the woods, fishing in a pond and splashing in puddles. The brother-sister duo even chase after a pack of animals, with Archie running while Lilibet rides on a bike with training wheels — and a baby doll secured behind her in a bike seat.
