Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Speak Out After Paparazzi Target Archie and Lilibet’s School

The Sussexes have long been fiercely protective of their children’s privacy. Now, a fresh incident has prompted a pointed response from their camp.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a statement after photographers were spotted near the school attended by their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, following the family’s return to the U.K. late last month.

According to People, two young men carrying backpacks were observed by both the couple’s private security and school staff walking the perimeter of the school, pausing at various points to peer into the grounds.

The men were first spotted separately before later appearing together and returning to a white van, which police subsequently determined was a rental.

One of them was later identified by police — via the driver’s license used to hire the vehicle — as an international photographer working for a European press agency.

In a statement obtained by People, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex described the situation as “extraordinarily reckless, concerning” and an “unacceptable” invasion of privacy.

“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,” the statement began.

“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,” it continued.

“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 concluded.

The incident at RAF Fairford referenced in the statement saw five men arrested near a U.S. military-operated air base in Gloucestershire, England, in the early hours of Sunday, September 27, after police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles.

According to a news release shared by the Met Police, the five were arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and later on suspicion of terrorism offenses.

They were released on bail on Monday, September 28, following what police described as an “investigative decision” “grounded in experience and strategy,” the BBC reported.

The outlet also clarified that no explosive devices were found during searches of the vans, though a quantity of gas was discovered.

It is understood that the school Archie and Lilibet attend is also attended by several children from the U.S. whose families are connected to a nearby U.S. military installation at an RAF base. The photographer incident unfolded roughly two days after the separate scare involving a similar vehicle near RAF Fairford.

Harry, Meghan and their children arrived in England in August, just in time for Archie and Lilibet to start the new school year. However, the Sussex children switched schools only two days into the term due to security and logistical concerns surrounding their commute.

The decision to move Archie and Lilibet to a new school shortly after the start of their fall term “was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told People at the time.

A source close to the couple added that getting the children settled in “has been, and remains, their focus. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right.”