Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just made a major decision for their children.
Harry and Meghan have changed their children’s school, it has been revealed (Image: Instagram/meghan)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly changed their children’s school just days into the new term. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, now aged seven and five, are thought to have started at their new school last week, with their parents now said to have wanted to switch them to another.
This comes after Harry and Meghan are said to have been advised over the state of their security, with reports now revealing that the family’s security will soon be reviewed following their move back to the UK. The young royals are said to have spent two days getting to know their new teachers and classmates before their parents decided to withdraw them from their original school.
Get the latest news and gossip from the Royal Family plus selected offers and competitions
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
Sources close to the Sussexes have made clear there was no issue with the school itself, but rather with the practicalities of getting them there and back.
As reported by HELLO!, heavy traffic in the family’s new area, as well as the distance between the school and where they live, are thought to have contributed, putting their small, private security team under strain.
One incident is also said to have made it difficult for their vehicles to maintain a convoy, further raising concerns.
A friend of Harry and Meghan told the publication, “It’s a real shame, because they absolutely adored the school, the kids and their parents.
“It was perfect for them in every way and the children really enjoyed their time there. They really wanted to make it work, but they had to make a difficult decision based on the fact that the team couldn’t make the school run operationally secure.”
Archie and Lilibet featured in Meghan’s latest UK Instagram post (Image: Instagram/meghan)
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess has said: “The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements.
“The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family.
“This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
Nigel Farage’s enemies thought they’d destroyed him – now he’s laughing at them
Reform UK leader is bouncing back and there’s nothing his opponents can do, writes Jonathan Walker
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage looks set to have the last laugh (Image: Getty)
They thought it was all over. But Nigel Farage is having the last laugh, because events over the past few days have shown he is still very much a contender for No 10.
It’s true that in recent months, the Reform UK leader has been rocked by a series of funding-related allegations. There was the £5million gift from Thai-based crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne. The gift itself was entirely legal and in no way against any parliamentary rules, but Mr Farage’s enemies claim he should have registered it, meaning details would appear on the House of Commons website.
Then there was the undercover sting by Channel 4, in which senior Reform figures – who have since been suspended – were filmed apparently discussing ways to accept a £500,000 donation from a wealthy American, even though it would have been against the law. The donation was never made. But it all provided ammunition for Mr Farage’s enemies.
And there is some evidence that the mud constantly thrown at Mr Farage has dented Reform UK’s popularity, although this should not be exaggerated. Opinion polls suggest about 25% of voters still back Reform.
But now, Mr Farage is fighting back. Reform is receiving two massive donations, giving it a war chest to ensure British politics really does become a fair fight.
Because while all the focus has been on Reform, the other parties have been receiving huge sums of money from donors for decades.
Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne are giving Reform £36million each, making a total of £72million.
Mr Farage said the money would be used “for one purpose only: to make certain we are ready to form a government at the next election”.
He said Reform would fund “the best research and policy department British politics has ever seen” and recruit “the best minds in every area”.
And deputy leader Richard Tice said: “What these two donations are trying to do is to actually level the playing field.
“We’re relatively new, we haven’t had the vast donations over the last five to 10 years that Labour and the Tories have had, so we need to employ campaign managers up and down the country, we need to employ brilliant policy people, the best minds, in order to ensure that we have the best policies.”
In 2024, for example, the Conservatives received £15million from a body called The Phoenix Partnership, owned by businessman Frank Hester.
A hedge fund called Quadrature Capital handed £4million to Labour in the same year.
Ecotricity, owned by energy entrepreneur Dale Vince, gave Labour £3.6million.
And union UNISON gave Labour £2.7million while USDAW gave £2.2million, the GMB gave £1.9million, and Unite gave £1.8million.
All of that is just in one year. And those are only some of the biggest donations – there are many more.
This has traditionally been considered perfectly normal. And there’s nothing wrong with it. The only real alternative would be for parties to get more money from taxpayers.
As Mr Tice says, political parties need buildings and staff. They need to carry out research and develop policies. And they need representatives across the country to organise campaigns and print leaflets.
The traditional parties have this infrastructure. They need it, and they have to pay for it somehow.
But Reform is in exactly the same boat. It needs infrastructure, too, if British voters are to have the option of choosing a Reform government on polling day.
These two donations, mammoth though they appear, will give Mr Farage and his party a fighting chance at the next election – on something close to equal terms with the other parties.