Sept. 16, 2026

Why Harry and Meghan Changed Archie and Lilibet’s School After Just Two Days

Show Notes
Transcript

Why did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle move Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to another school just two days into the new term? The Sussexes say security concerns surrounding the school commute forced the decision, despite the children enjoying their original school.What made the school run difficult to protect? Will new RAVEC risk assessments change Harry and Meghan’s UK security arrangements? And is it fair to compare their situation with Prince William and Princess Catherine, who receive official police protection?We examine the school change, reports of interim security provision and criticism of Meghan’s countryside Instagram footage over possible location clues. Plus, Meghan celebrates Harry’s 42nd birthday with family photographs, Lilibet reportedly learns Mahjong, and King Charles is said to be asking Princess Anne and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, to help repair the relationship between William and Harry.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

WEBVTT

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

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Mark Francis. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved Prince

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Archie and Princess Lilibet to a different school after just

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two days into the new term, with the couple saying

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the decision was made because of security concerns surrounding the

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school run. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, had started at

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their original school following the Sussexes' move back to Britain,

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but the distance between the family's home and the school

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combined with heavy traffic reportedly made it difficult for their

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security vehicles to travel together safely. A spokesperson for Harry

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and Meghan said the decision for the children to move

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school was taken following a discussion with the family's security

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team about the practicalities of their current arrangements. The parents

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remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for

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the love, care and effort they have shown their family.

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This decision should in no way be interpreted as a

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reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children

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have received there. According to the report, security assessments had

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been carried out at the school before Archie and Lilibet started,

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but the team had not been able to test the

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actual school commute under normal weekday traffic conditions. A source

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close to Harry and Megan said, It's a real shame

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because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and the parents.

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It was perfect for them in every way and the

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children really enjoyed their time there. They really wanted to

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make it work, but they had to make a difficult

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decision based on the fact that the team couldn't make

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the school run operationally secure. Archie and Lilibet have now

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reportedly been enrolled at another nearby school. Hello Reports Harry

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has already been there with Lilibet in a reception area

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and Harry and Megan have been added to the school's

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WhatsApp groups for parents. Meghan is getting her first official

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security review since the Sussexes stepped away from royal duties

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in 2020. People reports that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee,

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known as RAVAC, informed Harry last week that separate risk

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assessments would be commissioned for both him and Meghan. As

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part of that process, the Sussexes have reportedly been asked

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to provide details of their schedules and everyday routines, including

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taking Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to school. Harry had

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already been granted a Risk Management Board analysis in July,

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although he has not yet been told its conclusions. At

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the time the review began, officials apparently did not know

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that Harry, Meghan and their children were preparing to return

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to Britain for an extended period. People also reports that

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Harry and Meghan have been given an interim security provision

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while the new assessments are carried out. The couple lost

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automatic taxpayer-funded police protection when they stopped being working royals

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in 2020. Harry subsequently fought the arrangements in court, losing

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his case in February 2024 and an appeal the following May.

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Harry's lawyers have previously said he did not feel safe

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bringing his children to Britain without official security. The new

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assessment does not mean Harry and Meghan have regained automatic

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police protection. Ravec will assess their current circumstances and determine

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what protection, if any, should be provided. Some critics feel

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the biggest threat to Meghan's security is Meghan herself. The

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criticism is over a new family video that some online

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commenters claim may have revealed clues about where the Sussexes

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are staying in Britain. Meghan posted the montage over the weekend,

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showing Prince Harry, Archie and Lilibet settling into their new

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life in the English countryside. The footage includes the children

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riding bikes, the family walking along wooded roads, and Harry

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taking Archie and Lilibet fishing. Online observers began trying to

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identify the location after noticing details in the footage, including

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a lake, a distinctive bridge, trout and a large herd

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of deer. We will not share the speculated location. One

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person wrote, Another wrote, are Meghan Markle and her desperate

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need to prove she's not hating every second of being

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back in the UK by posting on Instagram. Meghan marked

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Prince Harry's 42nd birthday with a collection of family photographs

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and a public message to her husband. Meghan posted a

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reel on Instagram featuring pictures of Harry with her and

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their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He's simply the best.

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Happy birthday, my love. Heart emoji. The post begins with

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a black and white photograph of Harry wearing sunglasses and

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a baseball cap. Other images show him skiing with five-year-old Lilibet,

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riding an ATV with the children, taking part in archery

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and going for a bike ride. Another photograph shows the

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family sharing a meal, while Meghan also included a picture

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of herself kissing Harry. Archie and Lilibet appear throughout the collection,

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although Meghan continued her practice of keeping their faces largely

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out of view. One royal observer commented, You don't have

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to post on social media, you know. Meghan also posted

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a short video to her Instagram story, showing the couple

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together during a car ride with Harry making a face

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at the camera. Meghan appears to be getting an early

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start on one of autumn's returning fashion trends with the

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Duchess wearing skinny jeans. For the walk video, Meghan wore

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a quilted jacket, dark wash, slim-fitting jeans tucked into Wellington boots,

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a noticeably different look from the lighter California wardrobe she

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has frequently worn in recent years. Meghan is reportedly teaching

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Lilibet how to play Mahjong, one of Meghan's own favourite games.

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She was seen wearing a Mahjong-themed headband in the collection

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of family photographs Meghan shared for Harry's birthday. The traditional

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Chinese tile game has become something of a hobby for Meghan.

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During her 2025 Netflix series with Love, Meghan, she revealed

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that she and a group of friends had learned to

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play together. Meghan said the group even had a name

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for themselves, the Mahj Squad. More Palace in just a moment.

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On GB News, former Conservative MP Louise Mench questioned why

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the Sussexes encountered school-run problems when the Wales family has

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been able to take George, Charlotte and Louis to school

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without similar disruption. Obviously, I want the children to be safe. Obviously,

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I don't know what the security threat was. However, I

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will point out that the Prince and Princess of Wales,

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whose children are going to be King and Princess Royal,

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goodness knows what Louis will be, have managed to successfully

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take their children to school with absolutely no problems. Absolutely

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not one single photograph has been published by the press.

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There is no hounding of them. They are treated as

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ordinary parents. Mench said she had some personal experience of

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how William is treated at his children's school event because

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her nephew once played in a football match against a

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team that included Prince Louis. I happen to know this

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because my nephew was at one school that happened to

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have a football match with young Louis and his school,

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and the Prince of Wales came to it like any

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other parent, and nobody bothered them because that's what we

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do in this country. Fellow commentator Benjamin Butterworth argued that

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the comparison overlooks an important difference. William and Catherine have

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state-funded protection, while Harry and Meghan currently do not. The

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difference is that William and Catherine have the state's security

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and intelligence and access to all its means to protect

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them and their children, and rightly so. Harry and Meghan

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do not get that. Clearly that's going to make it

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more difficult than complicated. I cannot imagine when you consider

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two very young kids, five and seven, the kind of

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disruption to their life to move them to a different

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country at that age. I cannot imagine for a moment

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they would take them out after two days of school

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amid that disruption if they were not seriously concerned. King

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Charles is reportedly making another attempt to ease the feud

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between William and Harry. An unnamed source tells Heat, His

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Majesty would love if they could genuinely make peace, but

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even if that isn't possible, he wants a public show

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of unity. According to Heat, Charles has concluded that personally

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pressing William to reconcile may actually be making matters worse.

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The unnamed source claims having the same conversation with William

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over and over again simply causes William to dig his

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heels in more. Kate has reportedly tried to encourage William

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to forgive his brother, but the source claims she has

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not been able to move the needle. He now claims

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Charles has turned to Princess Anne and Sophie, hoping they

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might have more success. The king reportedly sees their involvement

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as two more voices pushing for reconciliation. And there you

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have it. If you'd like to email us, our address

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for five bucks a month commercial free. We appreciate your support.

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I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is

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Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Why Harry and Meghan Changed Archie and Lilibet’s School After Just Two Days

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