How Meghan's Comments on Kids and the Media Could Prove Awkward for William

Meghan Markle recently told a magazine journalist she was "a strong and good parent" for not wanting her children to go through a royal school photo call like the one Prince William and Kate Middleton's two older children have experienced.

The Duchess of Sussex gave a wide-ranging interview to The Cut promoting her Archetypes podcast and invited journalist Allison P. Davis to accompany her when collecting son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, 3, from preschool.

Meghan suggested that in the U.K. she'd never be able to do pick up and drop-off without a "press pen of 40 people snapping pictures."

Some have disputed Meghan's account, however, on the basis pictures of royals at the school gates are extremely rare.

However, they do invite the media to photograph their children's first day at school—and Prince Louis' first day is weeks away.

In The Cut, Davis wrote: "Earlier in our conversation about her goals for the life she's creating here, she'd remarked upon how, if Archie were in school in the U.K., she'd never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures."

"Sorry, I have a problem with that," Meghan said. "That doesn't make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child."

Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both photographed on their first day of school at Thomas' Battersea, in South London, in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

Starting in September 2022, all three Cambridge children will attend a new school, Lambrook, in Berkshire, a short drive from Windsor Castle.

It is yet to be seen whether a royal photo call will mark the occasion or not but—even if they spare Louis the experience of his older siblings—Meghan's words still resonate in terms of George and Charlotte's experience.

Chris Ship, royal editor at ITV News, cast doubt on Meghan's account, posting on Twitter: "The only time cameras allowed for school run is on the first day at school. The only 2 cameras are permitted (one TV, one photo) who agree to share footage with other broadcasters and publications. Is simply wrong for #meghan to claim there would be '40 people snapping pictures.'"

The counterpoint between the experiences of U.K. royals and Harry and America's U.S.-based children is complicated further still by the fact Meghan was photographed picking up Archie from his first day at preschool.

The pictures appeared to have been taken without her permission and were published in the New York Post, credited to picture agency Backgrid.

Prince Harry described the incident on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast in May 2021: "Page Six of the New York Post, they took photos of my son being picked up from school on his first day."

"It's this sort of rabid feeding frenzy, and going back to the kids point it's absolutely true. These kids don't get a choice; they don't get a say in it," Harry said.

It was the same podcast appearance were Harry described the First Amendment, which makes it harder to sue the media, as "bonkers."

Meghan and Harry also gave The Cut's journalist access to their children, with Davis joining her on the school run.

"For now, even though two Montecito moms waiting in front of the school stopped mid-chat to do a double take, Archie is just the cheerful kid who brings a week's worth of freshly-picked fruit for his fellow classmates and enjoys playing a 'roaring' game at recess.," Davis wrote. "Archie, munching on a quesadilla, wants to roll the window down himself, but not until we get to a specific huge hedge he mysteriously favors. We assess if he had a good day at school via an update letter from his teacher (he did and is ready for full days) and try to find out if he ate his sandwich at lunch (he did not)."

"We solve the question of the mid-morning shirt change (they played in the water table)," Davis continued. "'Why are you afraid of heights like an airplane?' Archie asks, and that leads to a conversation about the importance of being brave."

Needless to say, Meghan's comments on the royal school run may make life awkward for William and Kate if they chose to follow the same tradition they continued with George and Charlotte.

They are, however, in good company in that William and Harry were themselves photographed on their first day of school—alongside Princess Diana and Prince Charles.