Sussexes denounce 'extraordinary recklessness' after photographers circle children's school

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accused an international photographer of "extraordinary recklessness" after two men were seen circling the perimeter of the school attended by their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Both men were wearing backpacks, and police later identified one of them as a working press photographer.

The incident is the latest in a sequence of security and privacy concerns to emerge in the weeks since the couple, their children and their dogs moved back to Britain from California. The Sussexes relocated to the UK last month after six years living in the US, and are thought to be based at a private property in the Cotswolds area, a change announced in August that immediately reignited questions about their publicly funded protection.

Details of what happened at the school emerged after the Sussexes' representatives issued a strongly worded statement. According to the BBC's understanding, the two men were observed by both private security staff working for the family and employees at the school. The pair stopped at various points along the boundary, looked into the grounds, and appeared to monitor the movement of children during the school day, before returning to a van that police later established had been rented.

After enquiries, police identified one of the men as an international press photographer, and it is believed he works for a known European press agency. No photographs obtained from outside the grounds have been published, and the Sussexes' statement made clear that the couple do not know what images the men may have been seeking.

A spokesman for Prince Harry and Meghan said: "The decision by photographers to conduct themselves in this way around a school is extraordinarily reckless." He added: "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 went on to describe the behaviour as both an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of children and an irresponsible way for journalists to operate near a school. "Whatever photographs they may have been seeking, this was not only an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of the children; it was an irresponsible and ill-considered way to conduct themselves in the vicinity of a school," he said.

The attack is significant because it draws a deliberate distinction between ordinary news-gathering and conduct that resembles targeted surveillance. Press ethical codes in the UK generally direct journalists to take particular care over children, and the intrusion described — repeatedly pausing at the perimeter, watching pupils, and using a vehicle to move between vantage points — sits far from the routines of an accredited photographer covering an official visit. Observers have long argued that the children of senior figures, and royal children in particular, should be shielded from the kind of persistent visual pursuit that follows public figures everywhere else.

The episode also lands at a moment when the family's exposure to media attention has increased sharply. Archie and Lilibet are school-age children who, after spending most of their lives in California, have now entered a British state school system where press interest in their family is intense and long-running. The couple's return has itself been the subject of extensive coverage, with tabloids and broadcasters reporting on where they live, how they travel and what their daily routines look like.

Practical security concerns have already forced one change. The children began their schooling in the UK at the start of September, but were moved to a different setting after only a few days, following concerns raised about traffic during the school run. That decision, together with the presence of private security staff, illustrates the scale of measures now deployed around the children's daily movements.

Meanwhile, the Sussexes' publicly funded security is itself under review. It is understood that Ravec, the committee which oversees royal and VIP security, is to reconsider the level of police protection provided to Prince Harry and Meghan now that they are full-time residents rather than visitors. Ravec will assess the risks they face at their new home and the type of trips taken by the couple and their family, including regular travel routes and school runs.

That question has long been a source of frustration for the Duke, who has repeatedly argued that the arrangements afforded to him and his family are excessive. The renewed scrutiny of their protection will be watched closely, with any decision likely to be framed as a test of whether the couple's settled return to Britain justifies the resources attached to it.

The Sussexes' decision to speak publicly about the incident, rather than raise it privately with the school or the police, signals their determination to keep the issue in the public domain. It also places the newsroom that employs the photographer under potential pressure to explain its conduct, and raises questions about the enforcement of media standards near schools.

Several details remain outstanding. Police have not said whether any investigation is under way, whether images were captured, or whether a complaint has been filed. Neither the photographer nor the agency has responded publicly, and the Sussexes have not said whether they intend to take further action.

With the school year under way, attention is likely to remain fixed on the family's daily routine. The images of the Sussexes visiting the Za'atari refugee camp earlier in the year, when they were photographed in the course of official engagements, offer a sharp contrast to the behaviour the couple say they encountered outside their children's school grounds.

TITLE: Sussexes denounce 'extraordinary recklessness' after photographers circle children's school