Harry and Meghan blame ‘extraordinarily reckless’ paparazzi for security scare at children’s school

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Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have condemned what they described as “extraordinarily reckless” behavior by international photographers who they say sparked a security scare at their children’s school.

Private security and school staff are understood to have spotted two young men carrying backpacks, later identified as international photographers, walking around the school and stopping to look into the grounds.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes called it “an extraordinary lack of judgment” and an “unacceptable intrusion” after the photographers were seen “walking the perimeter of the school.”

“It is concerning enough that certain European paparazzi appear unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school,” the spokesperson said. “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.”

The spokesperson 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.”

CNN has reached out to police for comment.

Hollie Adams/Reuters

Harry and Meghan switch children’s school just days into term

British media outlets have taken care not to identify the location of the school or the Sussexes’ residence following a request from the Independent Press Standards Organisation, though their rules do not apply to representatives working for international media outlets.

Prince Harry has long expressed concerns over his family’s security, even before they returned to the UK in late August. Earlier this month, they moved Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, from a previous school just days into the start of the academic term due to security practicalities.

When Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020, the British government decided to downgrade their level of taxpayer-funded security – a decision which the duke fought unsuccessfully in the courts for years. In one of those rulings, the UK’s Home Office argued it was not appropriate for wealthy individuals to buy protective security from specialist police officers.

Harry has continued pressing for protection, often drawing comparisons of what his wife has faced with that of his mother, Diana, who died in 1997 in a high-speed car crash while paparazzi were following her.

This latest incident comes as the couple are reportedly waiting on an official risk assessment now they have returned to the UK from Montecito, California.

The couple has been asked to provide authorities with as much detail as possible about their new daily routines, including trips such as the school run, addresses routinely visited, routes taken and more, according to The Telegraph newspaper earlier this month. That information, along with any other evidence considered relevant, will be used by a branch of the UK’s Home Office to evaluate any changes to the level of threat they face.

CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Lauren Kent contributed reporting.

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哈里王子和苏塞克斯公爵夫人梅根谴责了国际摄影师“极其鲁莽”的行为，称这些行为在他们孩子的学校引发了安全恐慌。

据了解，私人保安和学校工作人员发现两名背着背包的年轻男子（后来确认是国际摄影师）在学校周围走动，并停下来向校园内张望。

苏塞克斯夫妇的一位发言人称，摄影师们“在学校周围走动”是“极其缺乏判断力”和“不可接受的侵犯”。

发言人表示：“某些欧洲狗仔队似乎不愿尊重学校里孩子的隐私，这已经够令人担忧了。但在这种特殊情况下，尤其是在费尔福德皇家空军基地事件发生后不久，就做出这种行为，更是极其缺乏判断力。”

发言人继续说道：“无论他们想要获取什么照片，这不仅是对儿童隐私的不可接受的侵犯；而且是在学校附近这种不负责任、考虑不周的行为。”

CNN已联系警方寻求置评。

霍莉·亚当斯/路透社

哈里和梅根在开学几天后就给孩子换了学校。

应独立新闻标准组织的要求，英国媒体谨慎地没有透露学校或苏塞克斯夫妇住所的具体位置，尽管该组织的规定不适用于为国际媒体工作的代表。

哈里王子长期以来一直对家人的安全表示担忧，甚至在他们八月下旬返回英国之前就已如此。本月初，出于安全考虑，他们在新学期开始仅几天后就将7岁的阿奇王子和5岁的莉莉贝特公主从之前的学校转学。

2020年哈里和梅根退出王室职务后，英国政府决定降低他们由纳税人资助的安保级别——哈里王子为此在法庭上抗争多年，但最终败诉。在其中一项裁决中，英国内政部辩称，富裕人士不应从专业警务人员那里购买安保服务。

哈里一直要求获得保护，经常将妻子所面临的困境与他的母亲戴安娜王妃的遭遇相提并论。戴安娜王妃于 1997 年在一场高速车祸中丧生，当时狗仔队正在跟踪她。

据报道，这对夫妇从加利福尼亚州蒙特西托返回英国后，正在等待官方的风险评估，而此次事件就发生在他们等待评估结果期间。

据《每日电讯报》本月初报道，这对夫妇已被要求向当局提供尽可能多的关于他们新的日常生活细节，包括接送孩子上下学等出行安排、经常光顾的地址、行进路线等等。这些信息，连同任何其他被认为相关的证据，将由英国内政部的一个部门用来评估他们面临的威胁等级是否发生了变化。

CNN的Lauren Said-Moorhouse和Lauren Kent对此报道亦有贡献。