Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should pay for their routine security in Britain despite legitimate concerns about photographers near their children's school, royal commentator Lynn Carratt has argued, drawing a distinction between the family's need for protection and taxpayers' responsibility to fund it.
Speaking to The Express US, Carratt said the reported incident strengthened the Sussexes' argument that they face privacy and security problems. But she maintained that everyday protection should "come out of their own pocket," citing their departure from working royal life.
Her comments followed allegations that two photographers had been seen near the grounds of the school attended by Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan called the photographers' alleged behavior "extraordinarily reckless" and described it as an unacceptable intrusion into children's privacy.
The reported presence of photographers around the school prompted the family's criticism, but the available accounts do not establish that a physical attack or threat occurred. They also do not specify whether authorities took action or what protective arrangements were already in place.
Carratt said reports of photographers walking around the perimeter and looking into the grounds made the case for adequate protection more apparent. She emphasized that young children should be able to attend school without photographers monitoring their surroundings.
Her objection concerned how that protection would be financed. Harry and Meghan chose to leave their roles as working royals and establish lives outside the core royal household, she argued, making private funding appropriate for their ordinary activities in Britain.
Carratt also suggested that the couple likely has the resources to employ private security. That was her assessment, rather than a conclusion supported in the reports by disclosed financial records or a breakdown of the family's protection costs.
She allowed for different arrangements when the Sussexes attend an official royal event or appear in a royal capacity. In those circumstances, she said, publicly funded protection could reasonably form part of the broader security operation.
The distinction would separate their participation in an official occasion from the continuing expense of protecting their household. Carratt did not argue that the school allegations should be dismissed; she questioned whether they justified transferring routine costs to the public.
The Sussexes' statement addressed the alleged intrusion rather than announcing a new funding request. The reports said two paparazzi appeared to be working together, but their intentions and the precise circumstances have not been independently established.
