PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE BREAK SILENCE AFTER PAPARAZZI ‘MONITORED’ THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL — SPOKESPERSON CALLS IT ‘EXTRAORDINARILY RECKLESS’
PRINCE ARCHIE AND PRINCESS LILIBET HAVE ONLY BEEN AT THEIR NEW SCHOOL FOR AROUND TWO WEEKS — AND NOW TWO INTERNATIONAL PAPARAZZI PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF LURKING OUTSIDE THE GATES.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a strongly worded response after two international press photographers were reportedly spotted outside the school attended by their children.
The photographers were seen by private security and school staff carrying backpacks and stopping at different points around the perimeter, with reports that they peered into the school grounds.
The Sussexes’ spokesperson has described the behaviour as “extraordinarily reckless”, accusing the photographers of crossing a line by conducting their activities around a school.
‘AN UNACCEPTABLE INTRUSION’
The two men were initially seen separately before later being observed together and returning to a white van.
Police subsequently established that the vehicle was a rental, while investigators identified the driving licence used to hire it as belonging to an international press photographer.
The two men were later identified as photographers working for a known European press agency.
In a statement, Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson said there was a clear distinction between legitimate media activity and photographers positioning themselves around a school.
“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,” the spokesman said.
They described the incident as “an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of children” and said it was particularly concerning given the circumstances surrounding the family.
JUST TWO WEEKS INTO A NEW SCHOOL
Archie and Lilibet had only recently started attending the school after being moved from their previous one following security concerns.
The Sussexes’ security team had reportedly raised concerns about the school run, with the children subsequently transferred after just two days at the previous school.
The youngsters have now been at their new school for approximately two weeks.
That makes the latest incident particularly sensitive for their parents, whose concerns about their children’s privacy and security have been repeatedly highlighted since stepping back from royal duties.
‘EXTRAORDINARY LACK OF JUDGMENT’
The Sussexes’ spokesman also drew attention to the timing of the incident, saying it occurred shortly after another security-related episode near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Five men were arrested near the airbase after a farmer reportedly discovered three vans blocking a road in the early hours of Sunday.
The spokesman said the school incident, coming so soon afterwards, demonstrated what they described as “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,” the statement said.
THE PAPARAZZI HISTORY HANGING OVER THE FAMILY
The issue carries particular emotional weight for Harry because of the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 after the vehicle carrying her was pursued by paparazzi photographers.
Harry has spoken extensively over the years about the impact of his mother’s death and his concerns surrounding press intrusion.
Now, with Archie and Lilibet still settling into a new school, the appearance of photographers outside the gates has once again placed the Sussex family’s long-running battle over privacy in the spotlight.
For Harry and Meghan, the message from their latest statement is unmistakable: whatever interest surrounds their family, they believe their children’s school should remain off limits.