Meghan ‘nervous’ about UK school run as Harry’s security arrangements remain unresolved

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is reportedly concerned about taking Archie and Lilibet to school in Britain while the family’s long-term security arrangements remain undecided.

Prince Harry and Meghan returned to the UK last week and are understood to be staying at a private luxury countryside property. The couple have kept a low profile since arriving, with reports suggesting they have spent much of their time at the residence.

The immediate concern is the children’s daily journey to and from school. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are due to attend a UK prep school, meaning their parents face a regular drop-off and pick-up routine.

A friend of the couple said Meghan and Harry can leave the property when necessary, but described their situation as a “gilded cage” because they do not currently have the level of protective security they want.

“The school run is a tricky issue and I understand they are nervous about it,” the friend said.

Private security cannot provide armed protection

The Sussexes are understood to have some private security in place, but they do not currently have regular police protection.

That distinction is significant because their private bodyguards cannot carry firearms in Britain. A fixed school schedule could also make the family’s movements more predictable, which the couple’s friend said creates additional security concerns.

The issue has become particularly sensitive because Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals in 2020 and subsequently moved to California.

Critics have argued that returning to Britain without a settled protection arrangement was a decision of their own making. Royal commentator Phil Dampier described Harry as potentially becoming a “prisoner in his own home”, while stressing that the situation resulted from choices made by the duke himself.

“He has brought it on himself,” Dampier said. “It was his decision to stop being a working member of the Royal Family.”

He also pointed to Harry’s decision to return to Britain at short notice, saying the duke could employ private protection but that his guards would not be permitted to carry weapons as they can in the US.

Harry gave less than two weeks’ notice

The security dispute has also drawn attention to the timing of Harry’s return.

It emerged that the duke gave the relevant security committee less than two weeks’ notice of his plans, despite rules requiring 28 days’ notice.

The couple are nevertheless understood to expect that some form of taxpayer-funded protection could eventually be reinstated.

A new assessment of Harry’s threat level has now been completed by a Risk Management Board and passed to Ravec, the independent body responsible for decisions concerning security for members of the Royal Family and other VIPs.

Ravec will consider the assessment before deciding what, if any, protection should be provided. The timing of that decision, and the precise form any security package might take, remain unclear.

The development is significant because Harry’s threat level had not been formally reassessed by the Risk Management Board for seven years, according to reports.

A Government spokesman declined to discuss specific arrangements, saying: “It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”

Public opinion divided over who should pay

The couple’s security arrangements have also become a matter of public debate.

A poll cited in the reports found that 63 per cent of the public believe Harry and Meghan should pay for their own private security.

The question of protection has followed Harry for years. He has previously argued that he cannot safely bring his wife and children to Britain without appropriate security.

His decision to return with his family has therefore prompted questions over why he chose to make the move before the latest security review had been resolved.

The Sussexes have reportedly been discussing a return to Britain for months, with the timing of last week’s move described by a source as the point when the “stars aligned”.

Harry also wants his children to be closer to members of his family, including the Spencers.

It has not been confirmed whether Harry and Meghan visited the grave of Harry’s mother, Diana, at Althorp on the 29th anniversary of her death.

Harry raises concerns over an alleged 2023 al-Qaeda threat

The security dispute has taken on another dimension following Harry’s complaint about an alleged threat from al-Qaeda in 2023.

Harry wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this month asking her to become personally involved in determining whether he and his family should receive close police protection.

His legal team is understood to have alleged that the chair of Ravec was aware of an al-Qaeda threat against Harry but failed to pass the information to his security team or US authorities.

According to intelligence cited in reports, the FBI received information in November 2023 concerning an al-Qaeda document that specifically referenced the “assassination” of Prince Harry.

The document also called on supporters in the West to target military personnel who had served in Afghanistan.

The threat was part of a much longer history of security concerns surrounding Harry, dating back to his military service.

A history of threats linked to Harry’s military service

Harry first served in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, and was later deployed again in 2012. His military service has made him a particular target for militant groups.

There was a reported plan to kill or kidnap him in 2007 during his proposed deployment to Iraq.

The following year, websites supporting al-Qaeda reportedly called for Harry to be captured or killed after details of his deployment to Afghanistan became public.

In 2010, al-Qaeda supporters threatened to shoot down Harry’s Apache helicopter and capture him if he returned to Afghanistan.

The threats intensified in September 2012, when Harry was serving at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman said the group had instructed its commanders to try to eliminate him. The threat was made shortly after Harry arrived for his second Afghan deployment.

Then, in January 2023, the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare prompted renewed hostility from senior Taliban figures, who accused him of war crimes. Those comments increased tensions surrounding the duke, although they were not classified as a direct death threat.

More recently, ITV reported that a UK security assessment found Harry faces an elevated terror threat while in Britain, noting that he has been the subject of specific jihadist threats since his military service in Afghanistan. The report also said the FBI had informed Harry’s security team in 2023 about intelligence referring specifically to his “assassination”.

The decision over protection remains unresolved

For now, the Sussexes remain in Britain without the full police protection Harry has been seeking.

The central question is whether Ravec will recommend reinstating some form of taxpayer-funded protection after considering the latest assessment of his threat level.

That decision could determine how freely the family is able to settle into their new routine, including the school run for Archie and Lilibet.

Until then, Harry and Meghan are relying on private security while the government maintains that details of individual protection arrangements cannot be disclosed for security reasons.