For weeks now, the royalists have been trying to convince everyone that “no one even cares that the Sussex family has returned to the UK.” That’s the line – that Prince Harry and Meghan will be treated normally, because no one cares about them and, obviously, if anyone has an opinion about them, it’s extremely negative. The reality is quite different – regular people are very excited about their return. Everyone in the Cotswolds has been trying to get a glimpse of them, and everyone wants to gossip about them. Thus, all of those Sussex sightings at Soho Farmhouse and all of the buzz about Harry’s public outings and whether Meghan will join him. Well, when Archie and Lili joined their school last week, Meghan was added to a parents’ WhatsApp group. Those mums were so excited about it, they screenshotted the WhatsApp thread with Meghan’s text and sent the screenshots to everyone they knew. Thus, Meghan’s cell phone number has already been leaked.
The Duchess of Sussex sparked a security alert as her personal mobile number was leaked from a school parents’ WhatsApp chat. Meghan had joined the group conversation the night before her children, Archie and Lilibet, had their first day at a UK school.
One mum wrote: “Welcome to Meghan who has Archie joining tomo.”
Another added: “Welcome!!”
A reply from Meghan read: “Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome (heart emoji) So happy to be a part of this community xx”
But a screenshot of the chat has now been shared multiple times.
It emerged after Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, were removed from their new school after two days because private security guards raised concerns about the traffic. They will now join another one in the area.
Meghan and husband Prince Harry had blamed traffic concerns. Heavy rush-hour traffic during the school run and a “pinch point” caused by parked cars meant the journey of their security convoy took up to an hour instead of the expected 35 minutes.
This is both horrible and funny. I get that this is yet another security breach to add to the pile, but this one is the most understandable, in my opinion. Those mums were probably THRILLED when Meghan joined the group and they wanted to show all of their friends. Of course it got out of hand. Meghan will need to change her number, of course. And now that Archie and Lili are in a new school, it’s time for a new WhatsApp parents groupchat.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- One Year to Go event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 14 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen at the One Year to Go Event, a significant milestone leading up to the Invictus Games. These games are an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, which bring together wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans to compete in various sports. The event serves as a celebration of the strength and resilience of these individuals, providing a platform for them to showcase their abilities and inspire others. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen at the One Year to Go Event, a significant milestone leading up to the Invictus Games. These games are an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, which bring together wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans to compete in various sports. The event serves as a celebration of the strength and resilience of these individuals, providing a platform for them to showcase their abilities and inspire others. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, were seen engaging with attendees on the second day of the ‘One Year to Go’ event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, held at Mountain Square in Whistler, Canada. The royal couple’s visit highlighted their continued support for the Invictus Games and its participants. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- One Year to Go event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 14 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- The opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 08 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Basketball in Vancouver Convention Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Curling in Hillcrest Recreation Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Basketball in Vancouver Convention Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at Wheelchair Basketball in Vancouver Convention Centre during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 09 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Whistler Welcome Celebration at the 2025 Invictus Games Featuring: Meghan Markle Where: Whistler, Canada When: 10 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at the Whistler Welcome Celebration during Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 . Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 10 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Even I, an absolute nobody, knows what a burner phone is so I’m fairly certain Meghan used standard means to protect herself. She’s not Boris Johnson (wasn’t it Bojo who had his number leaked? Or another high-ranking Tory, I forget whom….). She’s smarter than that…
Also, Murdoch will Murdoch, right? This is the Sun reporting all the grotty details it can. Murdoch is probably still pissed he settled with Harry over the phone hacking while the DM got away with it
I seriously doubt that was Meghans personal phone number. She probably has a different number that she uses for these situations. I saw this on tewitter and some are saying it was an actual mom from the school that sold it and the deranges are saying she leaked it herself and/or sod it because she needs money.
I’d be surprised if she didn’t have several.
Also I’m enjoying how the press has to rely on trying to spin it as a security problem they’ve created because the actual message content is so benign and unproblematic, lol.
Why? Just why put your children through this (looking at you, Harry)? Because even if the reasons for switching schools was security motivated, those children are being moved around and uprooted has to be unsettling.
I still don’t understand the necessity of returning to, as Kaiser aptly puts it, The Trauma Blender.
Meanwhile I’m side-eyeing the person who gave this info to the Sun.
I agree it is the fault of the parent that leaked the information, and it doesn’t matter if it was her main phone number or a burner number the adult parent of a classmate doxed her number and would have doxed every detail about the children if they had stayed at that school.. no parent in the States leaked anything at all about the children or the Sussex’s even with our subpar education system the Brit’s seem to think we have here, at least the parents in the states and their children have learned not to endanger others for a quick tabloid paycheck something the British parent lacked in their education, and let’s face it if these parents are sending their kids to the same school as the Sussex children they didn’t do it for the money but it was definitely done to harm Meghan and her children.
Why would you put this on Harry & Meg when someone else leaked Meg’s number? Harry has a right to his home as do h and Meghan’s children. It is their birthright and they seem happy to be back home. I appreciate how they pulled back to take a hold of their mental health, obtain financial independence and have made this decision to live in England…for now.
I agree completely! It must be hard on the kids. The move to a new continent, they don’t have a permanent home by most accounts, and taken out of their school after 2 days. No money and privelage shelters them from the anxiety of this. And no, a few seconds of happy afternoon strolls posted on instagram doesn’t prove this untrue. I really hope we one day find out that there was a good reason for this move.
I recently moved and put my young child in a new school. We were getting tears, her saying she missed her old school, that she didn’t know anyone etc. and that’s just going to a new school. I can tell you with absolute certainty that moving schools after 2 days would have unsettled her further. New environments are overwhelming to them.
I do think Harry and Meghan are action oriented people who are risk takers. Sometimes that’s a strength – look at As Ever. But in this case it seems more like being rash. Obviously it’s unintentional. But like Harry said on their documentary, they both take the approach it’s better to act and then find out it’s a mistake and course correct after than fail to act.
That being said, I doubt Meghan gave her real number to the WhatsApp group. We will see if the new school is more discreet but I’m sure they won’t be surprised to find that it’s not, surely H&M are not that naive. Hopefully it’s a school with other rich people kids so the parents all value privacy.
@Serator: I’m glad you made the point that Harry and Meghan are action oriented. I think that’s true, and I would go one step further. I think Harry is an adrenaline junkie in that he likes to seek out physical danger. That may explain, at least in part, the reason for this move.
Why are you blaming Harry instead of the sleazy idiot who decided to be a trash human being and sell Meghan’s phone number to a gutter trash tabloid?
Uprooted? They were at the school for 2 days! Hardly enough time to take roots and make friends. They are in a new school now where hopefully the moms will respect another mother’s privacy. Where the children indeed can be comfortable and make friends. Try to be less dramatic.
Children are “uprooted” all the time when their parents have to move, for work, for a new house, because their job demands frequent moves to other countries (what about military families?). No big drama, children are resilient. They usually thrive from being exposed to different experiences, more than children who never leave their hometown.
I’ve really had it with the “children are resilient” line. Not all children are resilient. Speaking for myself, I was a very anxious, nervous, shy kid who freaked out at any change, no matter how minor. We have no idea how “resilient” Archie and Lili are. They may love all of this. They may hate it. We have no idea! Sometimes moves are necessary and kids must adapt. Mental health assistance is now much more widely available for children than it was when I was a child. My parents didn’t know what to do with me and just hoped I outgrew it which I more or less did. But we need to not treat young children like miniature adults who will just go with the flow no matter what. End of rant.
Sure. Resilient or anxious and nervous, we don’t know. We don’t know their nature. Only Harry and Meghan, as their parents know, and are no doubt supporting them.
Well this kind of thing is definitely one of the reasons why I think this move was bad. But that being said, this isn’t their fault at all.
This is less a ‘leak’ and more an instance of ‘sharing’. All I can say is six years in Montecito yielded none of what they’ve experienced after only a month in England.
Ummm, didn’t one of the mom’s sell the screenshot and Meghan’s number to Matt Wilkinson of the Sun, that creepy stalker reporter from the Invictus games a few years back. So yeah, I’m not finding that part understandable. The moms may have been excited but uh that part is just gross.
It sounds gross and malicious, unfortunately.
absolutely disgusting and it’s a very poor reflection on the school. these are people who are (seemingly) in a high financial/social class yet this is how they’re behaving. the lack of discretion is a very poor look. the school should be very concerned that other parents have violated a high profile parent’s privacy like this.
It’s an incredibly bad look. This school likely recruits students by repping thier discretion and their community. And this incident just blew that rep up.
If the school the children briefly attended is the same one being banded about, term fees are about £12K a term (£36K a year). A lot of fee-paying students have middle-class parents who are scrounging for fees money, so I’m disappointed but not surprised that someone would have sold the screenshot and number on to a tabloid.
Wait that’s how the sun got the screenshot? that’s pretty bad. Meghan must feel violated. If the person really wanted to share the screenshot, they could at least have blocked out her number.
@Becks1 according to this story yes
I have a feeling screenshots were being shared, and maybe the number was originally not able to be seen, but then the Sun reached out and found someone willing to also share the phone number. Likely for a price.
Yep, one of the mothers in the group sold the information to the Sun. That stalker, Matt Wilkinson has been gloating about it and his actual headline was that M “LEAKED her own phone number” in “new security headache”, as though she had given her number to the Sun. Just when you think tabloid readers could not be any dumber.
I’ve seen a reporter (woman) refer to the mother as a moral degenerate and I quite agree. This mother knows that there is a target on the new mother and her children and the “welcome” is to sell her out??? Meghan attended and hosted so many parents’ activities in Montecito and those mothers, many of them much less wealthy, did NOT so much as HINT at those activities or invade her privacy. And to see people claiming that she did it on purpose?!!! Arghh. The world has gone mad indeed. But it shows that the parents in Montecito have more CLASS in their little fingers than those snotty middle Englanders, and I’d go as far as to say less racist. Because I seriously believe that one of the reasons for leaking her number like that was plain old racism.
If I were in that group, I would be really embarrassed to be associated with someone like that, who would wilfully violate another mother’s privacy. And I would wonder how many other things that person had leaked from the group. I would leave it if the person were not identified and booted out, to be honest, because remaining there would give the impression that I were just as cretinous as that parent.
It’s occurred to me that incidents like this one were among the reasons for the school switch, even though they took pains to underline the support from the school (no mention of the parenting network?).
🇬🇧 press is a reflection of 🇬🇧 as a society! No wonder tabloid garbage press thrives in that country!
Not all of us. What is worse is when a respectable paper like the Indy is joining the garbage press. I used to spend money on it.
Try the Byline Times instead.
I would also hope that she was smart enough to not use her „real“ number for a WhatsApp group with people she does not know. But this school saga. I just really hope it is something completely different. If the problem is really that the house is too far from the school and that sometimes due to traffic their „convoy“ cannot stay together, that would make their security team look incredibly clueless. Asking one neighbor about estimated traffic time outside summer holidays would have been enough. Or a parent at the school. Or anyone working at the school? And what does Harry expect, that he will get a motorcade to stop traffic? No even if Ravec reinstates security this will not be on the table. If I understand correctly it strained the capacity of their security team that they spend 4x1hour on school drop off and pick-up instead of 4×35 minutes. I imagine this means that during school runs Harry or Meghan cannot be escorted elsewhere. But could this not have been solved with one or two extra security people? Instead of switching a school that they had chosen with a lot of care and where apparently the children felt welcome? As I say, I hope the reason is different from what is communicated. Otherwise it really does look a bit like very rash, unreflected decision making
I’m trying to be charitable, but this is a bad look for those moms and the school. nothing like this ever happened here. whoever sold these screenshot and leaked meghan’s number should be ashamed. I do not understand why people just can’t be normal about meghan, my god.
Why try to be charitable when these women weren’t charitable to M or her children.
I feel for the children of those moms. They may be shunned. Harry and Meghan were far from the only wealthy, security conscious parents at that school, I imagine, so other parents may limit their children’s involvement with the leaker’s children to protect themselves. (and this possible outcome is NOT Harry or Meghan’s fault)
Six years in usa , nothing like this happened. Also in usa many billionaire, millionaire heck even president xi daughter is studying they have no problem secret service is kind of helping them . This is a mess and whatever Prince william is doing , he should know that he has two spare and karma is a bitch. What goes around comes around.
I’m sure that both Meghan and Harry would have a separate phone number and email address exclusively for kids school things. I’m sure this is not a situation where the phone number she gives out to her friends and her family and her business associates has been leaked. That said, it is entirely predictable that nothing was ever leaked in California and yet here we are a few weeks in and already the number she gives out is leaked. It is certainly proving their point, And I’m starting to wonder if this is the point of this whole sad, exercise…
This isn’t funny or harmless. If the phone number was sold (and even shared without explicit consent) it is a breach of GDPR.
I hope this gets reported to the ICO.
👍👍👍
All for the British politeness and sophistication, put up by those in whatever circumstances; poor, average or rich.
Meghan lived in her rich community for six years – she most likely has joined the mums’ school WhatsApp group there – but nobody has leaked her conversations or phonenumber. This shows you the (tabloid-invested) mentality, curtesy and civilisation between the two countries.
The by the tabloids, right-wing media, morning TV-shows/royal “news” influenced Brits/royalists who hating M(&H) and their children, and those acting like this (in comment sections of vile stories, think that they are defending their ‘culture’ and the royal family with this behaviour. However, what they keep proving to the world is that the studies are right that the Brits are really the most miserable people of any country in the western world.
We discussed something along these lines when they moved to California – people were aghast that they were moving to a place like LA filled with paparazzi and gossip writers* but the response from many was – people in LA don’t care. They see so many celebs out and about constantly that its just background noise unless they’re doing something of note. In Montecito, H&M obviously got photographed here and there. But considering how they were living their lives, we didn’t hear about 99% of the things they did. The restaurant owner at a Montecito hotspot isnt running to the DM to detail their meal because he wants other high profile WEALTHY people to come in and spend money. Sometimes for the uber rich, being among other uber rich people is its own kind of protection (and insulation, which can be a bad thing too.)
*I know it was Montecito but this was the discussion at the time.
The press’ portrayal of this story is sinister and over the top for someone who’s been deemed a “private citizen”. I just hope Harry realises that his dream of living peacefully in the UK countryside is never going to become a reality.
I see exactly why the royals treat the British public like the sh** they themselves (the royals) are…most in the public are no different.
Meghan did nothing wrong by SHARING, not leaking, her number to the other moms.
Harry is fifth in line to the throne, but he and his family are being treated like common citizens because of his mixed race wife and kids. How evil is that family? Security shouldn’t even be an issue.
I’d be surprised if she didn’t have several.
Also I’m enjoying how they have to play it up as some security problem the Sussexes have created because the actual message content is so benign and unproblematic, lol.
I get that they are excited to have her in their group chat but as moms themselves, this is creepy as f . Why would you jeopardize her privacy and Archie and possibly that of themselves and their own child
A very bad look for that school community. Seems H&M were right to transfer their children to another school. Who knows what this woman would have been prepared to do had A&L remained there.
I agree. I wonder what the other mothers will do now that this is out in the open? Unless they were all in it together, which I cannot see. Thank goodness they went to another school because this is beyond the pale.
If the head of that school had any integrity they’d release a public statement condemning the leak and apologise to the Sussexes (not holding my breath).
This mom would have been selling pictures of the kids, pictures of any art work that gets hung in the school by the kids, once someone who needs money gets a taste of easy money, it’s hard to stop.
My gut instinct tells me she didn’t do it for the money (not that that’s even a justification for her appalling behaviour). Sometimes people just do things because their nasty pieces of work.
That’s possible. But I can’t imagine money wasn’t involved bc that’s just the nature of the tabloid press. Scobie talked about how the journos pay for tips and sources. So it would be very odd if money wasn’t also involved.
@jais Oh, money was involved. I’m just not buying the idea, advanced upthread, that she did it because she’s struggling financially. I’m not giving this malicious actor the grace she failed to show M and her children.
Y
Typo
I have NEVER shared this before, but my niece has a child who went to a previous school with young Archie (in California).
Everyone at that school–parents and teachers–kept everything about them in a vault. Either M or H did the school-run personally and chatted with other parents and were warm and convivial to the little nursery school group. This is the most I know because they promised not to ever share the experiences of chatting with H and M.
I had calculated that there was a huge chance that their son might be in the same school and same class as Archie. So I asked….My niece did not deny, but said her lips are sealed beyond the detail that it was almost always a parent picking up Archie
See, THIS is discretion. Hats off to those parents and teachers!
And to think that the UK media and derangers had been claiming that this discretion could only be obtain by the family remaining in Britain – and look what happened after barely a month. Hm.
The parents in Montecito have real class, as opposed to those British wankers who sold Meghan’s number to the press. Kinda ruins the narrative that the British are the Gold Standard for decency and fine manners.