Archie and Lilibet’s School Hit by New Security Scare After Paparazzi Sighting

Police are investigating two men who were seen apparently surveilling the British school attended by Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

According to ITV News, the men spent hours near the school in a white rental van. Sources described them as “scouting out” the premises and conducting reconnaissance. Police traced the rental and believe the driving licence belonged to an international photographer.

So perhaps the British press can finally retire its habit of treating Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex’s security concerns like celebrity melodrama, because this was never theoretical.

The Sussexes currently rely on private security. Those guards cannot carry firearms or access state intelligence. ITV says British police have only provided the couple with a liaison number, although further interim measures have been put in place around their home. Police have now passed details of the school incident to RAVAC.   That timing could hardly be worse.

Archie and Lilibet had already changed schools this month over security concerns. Their original commute repeatedly left the family car stuck in traffic and separated from the security vehicle. Their team considered the routine too predictable, so the children moved after only days.  

Then Meghan faced another privacy breach when a fellow mother shared one of her private WhatsApp messages publicly. Now men have allegedly spent hours watching the children’s replacement school. Tell me again how exaggerated these concerns are.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in response to the incident:

“The decision by photographers to conduct themselves in this way around a school is extraordinarily reckless.

“There is a world of difference between legitimate media activity and photographers walking the perimeter of a school, stopping to look into the grounds and monitoring children as they go about their day.

“It is concerning enough that certain European paparazzi appear unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school. But to behave in this manner in these particular circumstances, and so soon after the incident at RAF Fairford, demonstrates an extraordinary lack of judgment.

“Whatever photographs they may have been seeking, this was not only an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of children; it was an irresponsible and ill-considered way to conduct themselves in the vicinity of a school.”

Source: HELLO! Magazine, reporting a statement from a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex.

We Have Seen This Before

Kensington Palace understood this danger perfectly well when Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children were the targets. In 2015, Kensington Palace issued an extraordinary warning about photographers targeting Prince George. It described paparazzi monitoring George and his nanny, following cars and hiding on private land.

One photographer rented a vehicle and parked outside a children’s play area for an entire day. Police found him lying inside the boot with a long lens. Kensington Palace warned that officers might struggle to distinguish photographers from people intending harm. It called the behaviour a security risk.  

The Palace was right. Children should not have photographers staking out their schools, homes or playgrounds. That principle did not expire because these children belong to Harry and Meghan.

The “International Paparazzi” Defence Only Goes So Far

While the British press have shown restraint and have abided by a request from the Independent Press Standards Organisation not to identify the location of the school and the Sussexes’ current home, the same rules do not apply to photographers working for media outlets overseas.

ITV

ITV stresses that British outlets have followed an IPSO request not to identify the Sussexes’ home or the children’s school. It also notes that overseas photographers do not face the same restrictions.

However, within weeks of returning to Britain, their first school became a press fixation. They moved schools, yet someone has apparently found the replacement school too. That difference deserves attention.

We also should not pretend this happened in a vacuum. British outlets maintain a relentless market for Sussex material. Meghan’s private WhatsApp message already reached the press. Royal reporters repeatedly tell readers they know private locations they cannot publish.

They also continue to portray the Sussexes’ security concerns as exaggerated or largely theoretical, so absolving the media ecosystem of any responsibility here would ignore the role aggressive press pursuit has played before, most famously in the circumstances surrounding Princess Diana’s death.

People notice when information about one family carries commercial value. A parent can share a message. A source can pass on a detail. An overseas photographer can chase the image. The photographer may be international. The appetite feeding the hunt is much closer to home.

Meanwhile, RAVEC Keeps Reviewing

The school incident also lands in the middle of Harry’s long-running security dispute. RAVEC, the UK committee that assesses security risks and determines publicly funded protection for certain royals and VIPs, met earlier this month after the Sussexes returned to Britain. During the same week, Buckingham Palace released the Lord Chamberlain’s letter describing Harry and Meghan as “akin to private citizens.” Harry’s team suspected the timing could influence the security discussion. ITV reported that suspicion, although there is no evidence that King Charles personally interfered with RAVEC’s decision.

Harry’s team suspected the Palace released the letter to influence the security discussion, although there is no evidence that Charles personally directed RAVEC’s decision. Still, the silence from the Palace is striking. In 2015, Kensington Palace publicly condemned paparazzi surveillance of George as a security risk. Charles may not control RAVEC, but as King and the children’s grandfather, he can hardly be powerless to publicly condemn photographers staking out his grandchildren’s school.

RAVEC later agreed to conduct fresh Risk Management Board assessments for both Harry and Meghan. Meghan’s will be her first since 2020. Harry had already undergone one in July, before officials knew his family planned to move back to Britain.  

And now, while RAVEC continues its review, police are investigating suspicious activity outside Archie and Lilibet’s school. The security assessment may still be pending, but the risks Harry has warned about are already unfolding in real time.