Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have moved their two children to a different school because of security concerns, a spokesperson said Tuesday, just weeks after the family returned to the United Kingdom for a fresh start.

The decision was made after discussions with the family's security team about the practical challenges of their existing arrangements, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, had only recently begun the new school year in England after the family moved from California in late August.

British media reported that the long school journey and heavy traffic along the route were among the concerns discussed by the couple and their security team. The family is currently living at a private residence outside London that is not connected to the royal family.

The spokesperson stressed that the decision was not a reflection on the school or the care the children had received there.

The move came as Harry and Meghan awaited a new assessment from the government committee responsible for reviewing security arrangements for VIPs. The assessment is expected to address whether the family should receive publicly funded protection now that they are living in the UK.

Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago, saying they wanted to earn their own living. They later signed major deals with Netflix and Spotify.

Relations with the wider royal family have since become strained, though Harry has recently expressed hope for reconciliation so he can spend more time with his father, King Charles III.

Harry has also been engaged in a long-running dispute with the British government over the restoration of publicly funded police protection, which was withdrawn after the couple stepped back from royal duties.

He previously said he could not “see a world” in which he would bring his wife and children back to the UK without security guarantees.

Earlier this month, King Charles reiterated that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family and would continue not to use formal titles such as His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, in line with arrangements in place since 2020. The couple said they were surprised by how the statement was issued, saying they had little time to review it before it was made public.