Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet move schools after just two days as Sussex security concerns intensify

Prince Harry and Meghan have moved Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to a different British school after the children spent only two days at their original school, with the family’s security team raising concerns about the practicalities of their daily journey.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed the change on Monday, September 14, after reports that the distance between the family’s new home and the school, combined with heavy traffic, had made the journey difficult to secure.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, had only recently started the new school year after moving to Britain with their parents following six years in California.

The family’s spokesman stressed that the decision was not a criticism of the school or its staff. Instead, it followed discussions about whether the existing arrangements could be operated safely and effectively.

Security concerns prompted the change

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said the decision was made after the family discussed the children’s school arrangements with their security team.

The couple also expressed their gratitude to the teachers and staff at the first school, making clear that the move should not be interpreted as a reflection of the care Archie and Lilibet received.

Reports said the security issue centered on the school run rather than the school itself. The distance involved and congestion along the route reportedly placed additional pressure on the family’s private security arrangements.

The children had reportedly settled well into their first school. A friend of the Sussexes described the decision as disappointing because Archie and Lilibet had enjoyed their brief time there and had been happy with their classmates and the wider school community.

The family had hoped to make the original arrangement work, but their security team concluded that the daily journey could not be managed securely enough.

Archie and Lilibet are now expected to attend another school in the area. According to reports, they visited the new school for a taster session on Monday. Harry was also seen settling Lilibet into reception, while the couple were said to have been added to parents’ WhatsApp groups.

The names and locations of both schools have not been publicly disclosed.

The school move comes as Harry’s security is being reviewed

The change of school coincides with a significant development in Harry’s long-running dispute with the UK government over his security arrangements.

Harry has been told that his security will undergo a new full review following the family’s return to Britain, according to ITV News.

The review is being handled by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec, which is responsible for decisions concerning protective security for high-profile royals and public figures.

ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship reported that Ravec had written to Harry after discussing his situation at a meeting the previous week. The committee decided that his security should be reviewed now that he is living in Britain and his two children have started school there.

The formal assessment is known as a Risk Management Board, or RMB.

The Duchess of Sussex is also due to have her own RMB assessment. It will be the first review of the potential risks and threats facing Meghan since the couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

Harry, by contrast, had a new RMB assessment completed in July, around eight weeks ago. That assessment was conducted before officials were aware that he intended to relocate his family to Britain.

Ravec’s latest review therefore comes at a different point in the family’s circumstances, with Harry, Meghan and their children now living in the UK.

Harry’s long-running fight for police protection

Security has been one of the most contentious issues between Harry and the Home Office since he and Meghan left their roles as working royals.

The couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and eventually settled in California. After their departure, Harry lost his automatic entitlement to taxpayer-funded police protection in Britain.

He challenged the decision through the courts, arguing that his position as the son of the monarch, his place in the line of succession and his military service meant that he and his family continued to face significant risks when visiting the UK.

Harry served in the British Army and completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. His concerns about his security have remained a recurring feature of his public statements and legal arguments.

In 2025, after another defeat in the Royal Courts of Justice, Harry said in a BBC interview that he could not imagine a time when he would feel safe bringing his family to Britain.

His circumstances have since changed considerably.

Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Archie and Lilibet in August, ending a six-year period in which the children had grown up primarily in California. Their relocation means the security question is now relevant not only to Harry’s visits to Britain but to the family’s everyday life there.

The couple are living in a private residence rather than a royal property and have not resumed official royal duties. King Charles has also recently reiterated that Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals and are to be treated as private citizens.

The Sussexes’ return changed the security picture

Harry and Meghan returned to Britain on August 26 with their children, having announced plans to relocate from the United States earlier in August.

Their decision represented a major change in the family’s circumstances. Archie and Lilibet had spent most of their lives in the United States, and the children were beginning their first British school year after the move.

The return also came shortly before King Charles’s office issued a letter to senior officials reaffirming that the Sussexes are no longer working members of the Royal Family.

The letter was reportedly unexpected from the Sussexes’ perspective, with people close to the couple questioning its timing because it came ahead of the Ravec discussions about Harry’s security.

According to Reuters, the letter confirmed the couple’s non-working status and emphasized that security matters should be handled through the appropriate authorities.

The Sussexes had reportedly been concerned that the timing could affect the committee’s consideration of Harry’s security.

Those concerns now appear less significant in light of the decision to conduct a full review. The Ravec process will consider the circumstances of Harry and Meghan following their return, rather than simply relying on the assessments carried out while the couple were living in the United States.

What protection do Harry and Meghan currently have?

The Sussexes continue to use private security, but their British arrangements are different from those available to working members of the Royal Family.

ITV News reported that the couple’s current police support includes access to a police liaison officer. Harry has argued that this does not amount to the level of immediate protection he believes his family requires, because contacting an officer would not necessarily result in an immediate response.

Scotland Yard does not publicly discuss individual security arrangements. Protection for members of the Royal Family and other high-profile figures is understood to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and kept under review.

Harry has nevertheless received police protection at some recent UK appearances, including charity events, illustrating the distinction between automatic protection and security provided for particular occasions.

The Sussexes also spend substantial sums on private security.

There is another important difference between their security arrangements in the United States and Britain. Private close-protection officers in Britain are not generally armed, whereas security personnel in the United States operate under different laws governing the carrying and use of firearms.

That difference has been part of Harry’s argument for the restoration of police protection while he and his family are in the UK.

The Home Office has declined to provide details of individual arrangements, saying that the UK’s protective security system is designed to be rigorous and proportionate and that revealing specific information could compromise security.

A new chapter for the Sussex children

The school change is the latest complication to follow Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain.

The couple had presented the move as an opportunity for their children to experience more of their father’s country and British family connections while maintaining their life and interests in the United States.

Meghan recently shared a glimpse of the family’s new life in the British countryside, posting footage of Harry and the children enjoying outdoor activities and quieter family moments.

The location of their home remains private, as do details of the children’s schools.

The decision to change schools after only two days means Archie and Lilibet will now have to settle into another new environment almost immediately after beginning the academic year.

For Harry and Meghan, however, the move highlights the practical difficulties of raising two young children in Britain while maintaining private security arrangements that were originally designed around a different lifestyle and a different country.

At the same time, the government’s decision to conduct fresh security assessments means the question of protection for the Sussex family is once again under formal consideration.

The outcome of those reviews could determine how security is handled as Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet establish their new routine in Britain.