Paparazzi Spotted at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s School in UK

Photographers have been spotted at the school attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children following the family’s return to the UK

PEOPLE understands that two young men carrying backpacks were observed by both the couple’s private security and school staff walking the perimeter of the school, stopping at various points and looking into the grounds. The men were initially seen separately before being seen together and returning to a white van, which police later determined was a rental vehicle.

One of them was later identified by police — via a driver’s license used to hire the rented vehicle — as an international photographer working for a European press agency.

Harry, Meghan and their children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — arrived in England on Aug. 26 in time for Archie and Lilibet to begin their new school year. The Sussex children then switched schools just two days into the term due to security and logistical concerns regarding their commute.

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex called the latest situation “extraordinarily reckless, concerning” and an “unacceptable” intrusion of privacy.

“The decision by photographers to conduct themselves in this way around a school is extraordinarily reckless. There is a world of difference between legitimate media activity and photographers walking the perimeter of a school, stopping to look into the grounds and monitoring children as they go about their day,” the statement began.

“It is concerning enough that certain European paparazzi appear unwilling to respect the privacy of children at school. But to behave in this manner in these particular circumstances, and so soon after the incident at RAF Fairford, demonstrates an extraordinary lack of judgment,” the statement continued.

“Whatever photographs they may have been seeking, this was not only an unacceptable intrusion into the privacy of children; it was an irresponsible and ill-considered way to conduct themselves in the vicinity of a school,” it concluded.

The incident at RAF Fairford saw five men arrested near an air base in Gloucestershire, England, which the US military operates, in the early hours of Sunday, Sept. 27, after police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles.

Per a news release shared by the Met Police, the five were arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under the Explosives Act and later on terrorism offenses.

They were released on bail on Monday, Sept. 28, following what police called an “investigative decision” “grounded in experience and strategy,” per the BBC.

According to the outlet, no explosive devices were found during searches of the vans, but a quantity of gas was.

PEOPLE understands that the school that Archie and Lilibet attend is also attended by several children from the US whose families are connected to a nearby US military installation at an RAF base. The incident involving the photographers took place roughly two days after the separate incident involving a similar vehicle near RAF Fairford.

The decision for Archie and Lilibet to move schools shortly after beginning their fall term “was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE at the time.

A source close to the couple added to PEOPLE that getting the children settled in “has been, and remains, their focus. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right.”

Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK was exclusively revealed by PEOPLE last month.

It was noted that the family would be moving back for an extended period beginning in August, while also maintaining their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation property in Portugal. The location of their new home and the children’s school is being closely guarded.