Meghan’s recent moves at odds with Prince Harry’s fierce fight for privacy and security

Opinion: The leaking of Meghan’s personal mobile number has exposed more than just a way to contact her; it’s another example of the Duchess of Sussex chasing a life of normalcy while craving the perks and privileges that come with being royal.

One day after sharing a video of her two children with Prince Harry in celebration of his 42nd birthday on Tuesday, Meghan’s message in a parents’ WhatsApp group was shared online along with her phone number.

Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, had only just started at the school when they were pulled out two days later over concerns surrounding their security during the commute in peak-hour traffic.

This week, the children have started at another school in the area. Prince Harry was seen taking Lilibet to class on Monday, and both he and Meghan are now part of the new school’s WhatsApp groups.

The school is closer to the Sussexes’ new home, in the Cotswolds, and their private security team is said to feel much more positive about the choice.

The leaking of Meghan’s personal phone number, and the changing of the children’s school, are two major security breaches for the Sussexes, who have been back in the UK for less than a month.

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They come as Prince Harry is furiously fighting to have his taxpayer-funded personal police protection detail reinstated.

But Meghan’s recent actions, including the sharing of two family-centric videos on Instagram, appear to be going against her husband’s battle for protection.

As Prince Harry pleads with the government for armed guards, Meghan has taken a much more relaxed approach by sharing glimpses of her and her family’s new lives in English countryside.

The duchess’ videos, posted on social media to her 4.9 million followers, are immediately dissected and analysed. There are guessing games as to the family’s locations, where they might be living and spending their spare time.

Since they have been back, Meghan has posted two such videos this week alone.

While the duchess would have never expected her personal phone number to be leaked by parents at her children’s school, one wonders why extra precautions were not taken if the security situation was so volatile.

Why not have two phones – one strictly for personal use and another for the school WhatsApp, or other such endeavours where such leaks are possible?

The exposed messages began with a welcome note from another parent, who said, “Welcome to Meghan who has Archie joining tomo [sic]“.

Meghan, using just ‘M’, replied, “Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome [heart emoji]. So happy to be part of this community xx”.

It also has to be said, the Prince and Princess of Wales are both part of their children’s school WhatsApp groups yet their phone numbers, or messages, have not been shared online.

Both Prince William and Catherine were “heavily involved in the children’s school, Lambrook, where other parents see them at events and receive their messages in WhatsApp groups,” The Telegraph UK reported in April.

The Waleses are fiercely protective of the privacy of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and have chosen their circle of friends closely. The wider community where the children go to school respects the family and their private time.

Harry and Meghan, however, don’t seem to be surrounded with such tight-lipped friends or associates. Stories about the Sussexes − the so-called “leaks” to the media − are often attributed to “sources close to the couple”, whether sanctioned or not.

Yet team Sussex has insisted on privacy at every turn, pleading with media organisations to withhold the name of the school the children attend (both the original and the new one) and the location of their new home in the Cotswolds.

Prince Harry’s campaign has been long and costly, including last year when he lost a legal challenge while seeking to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal.

Now, in what is a minor win for both he and Meghan, the Home Office is reviewing the couple’s security for the first time in six years. They have been asked by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) to provide full details of their new daily routines, providing as much detail as possible about their new lives in the UK, including the school run, addresses and routes taken and other routines.

The information will be used to determine the level of protection they have in Britain despite being non-working members of the royal family, as confirmed by King Charles in a letter sent last week.

Prince Harry was told by Ravec’s chairman late last week that, in light of their changed circumstances, the committee had commissioned a new risk assessment for him and a separate one for his wife.

Meghan’s security assessment will be her first since she was granted police protection as a working member of the royal family after marrying Prince Harry in 2018.

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It’s a major boost for Harry as he returns to the spotlight, carrying out his first public engagement on Thursday (early on Friday morning in Australia) since moving back last month, supporting the Invictus Games.

Since their return, the Sussexes have been given light security. Prince Harry has a contact number for a police liaison officer but otherwise relies on his own private security team, who are not allowed to carry firearms.

Meghan is rumoured to be hopeful of joining her husband at public engagements in the near future but only if their safety can be guaranteed.

Again, it raises the question of why the Sussexes have chosen to come back to the UK now, even when their security situation remained unchanged since their exit.

Harry and Meghan don’t seem to be aligned when it comes to their opposing approaches to their new life in the UK; their actions seem in contrast to the high level of security the couple claim they need.