Meghan’s absurd claim that son Archie would be swamped by photographers if schooled in Britain
The tightly controlled photo opportunity to mark the Cambridge children’s first day at school yesterday was in marked contrast to absurd claims made by Meghan last week.
The Duchess of Sussex told The Cut magazine that if her son Archie attended school in the UK she would ‘never be able’ to drop him off or pick him up without it being a ‘royal photo-call with a Press pen of 40 people snapping pictures’.
The Editors’ Code in the UK has strict rules to ensure that children are free to complete their time at school without unnecessary intrusion.
Royal families are no different, which means William and Kate have been able to undertake the school run routinely since George was two without a single photo of their children published in this country.
But the couple also understand that the British public have a genuine and well-meaning interest in their family.
To balance this with their desire for privacy, they have chosen either to issue their own photos of milestones or allow a small media group to capture the moments.
Prince Harry, Duke of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Cambridge arrive at the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 – One Year To Go events on September 06, 2022
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, accompanied by their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are greeted by Headmaster Jonathan Perry as they arrive for a settling in afternoon at Lambrook School, near Ascot in Berkshire
Yesterday just three people were present – a photographer, a TV cameraman and a print journalist.
Mobile phones were not permitted so as not to unnerve the children.
The photo opportunity lasted under two minutes.
Aides said William and Kate ‘appreciated’ the ongoing care the British Press is showing around the privacy of their family.
The tiny group was accompanied by a single Kensington Palace press officer, who had coordinated with the Duke, Duchess and the school.
Around half a dozen protection officers dressed discretely kept carefully out of sight, with no other members of the media permitted to attend in order to keep the afternoon calm and relaxed for the nervous little royals.
The media group stood a short and respectful distance away, watching the Cambridge family approach the school steps.
They were quickly ushered away as soon as they entered the school.
The settling in afternoon is an annual event held to welcome new starters and their families to Lambrook and takes place the day before the start of the new school term (Kate and Will pictured with kids ahead of new school term)
Yesterday the family drove by car from their new Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage, minutes from Frogmore Cottage, where Harry and Meghan are currently staying while they undertake engagements in Britain and Germany.
Although the two family homes are both at least on the Queen’s Berkshire estate, such is the depth of the estrangement that there are no plans for them to meet.
William feels deeply betrayed by his brother and feels it would not be safe to have contact with him until his money-spinning memoir and Netflix documentary come out.
It emerged yesterday that although they flew from California on a scheduled commercial flight and took the train to Manchester on Monday, the Sussexes borrowed a £45million German taxpayer-owned Luftwaffe jet to take them to and from Dusseldorf.
The German Air Force plane was sent to RAF Northolt to collect the couple, before returning them later in the day and then flying back to Cologne.
