Prince Harry and Meghan have moved their children, Archie and Lilibet, to a different school after a school-run route reportedly proved difficult for their security team to manage. The decision has prompted competing accounts: one centred on operational safety, the other on whether the family’s arrangements were properly planned.

A spokesperson for the couple said the move followed discussions with their security team about “the practicalities of their current arrangements,” stressing it was not a judgement on the school or its staff.¹ Reports said rush-hour congestion turned an expected 35-minute trip into one lasting as much as an hour, while one incident made it hard for the security vehicles to remain together.²

People close to the family said they had liked the school and wanted the arrangement to work, but concluded that the journey could not be made “operationally secure.”³ A screenshot from a parents’ WhatsApp group, reportedly shared repeatedly and showing Meghan’s personal number, added to wider security concerns, though the reports describe traffic as the stated reason for the transfer.⁴

Critics have challenged that assessment. Former head of royal protection Dai Davies questioned the need for a convoy on the school run, arguing that a lower profile could offer greater safety.³ Parents were also reported to be surprised, with one source saying congestion in the area was well known.³

Royal biographer Robert Jobson took a sharper line, saying the family should adjust its schedule rather than cite traffic as a security rationale, and warning that protection for non-working royals would be expensive.⁵ The disagreement comes as reports say a new risk assessment is being considered for Harry and Meghan following their return to Britain.⁴