Meghan Markle's phone number appears to be leaked after Duchess of Sussex joined group chat

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Meghan signed up to the messaging group the evening before her children began attending the school

Parents at the school recently attended by Prince Harry and Meghan's children appear to have been circulating the Duchess of Sussex's personal mobile number.

Screenshots from a WhatsApp group called "Year 3," which Meghan had joined, are said to have spread online, compounding the couple's security woes.

An alleged image of the chat captured Meghan’s introductory message: "Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome [heart emoji]. So happy to be a part of this community xx"

Meghan reportedly signed up to the messaging group the evening before Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet began attending the school.

Sources in the Sussex circle described it as disappointing that other parents would choose to distribute such private details.

Prince Harry and Meghan removed their children Archie and Lilibet from the private school in Britain after just two days, following a security scare during the school run in which their convoy became separated in heavy traffic.

The couple's protection vehicles were unable to remain together amid congestion on the route from the family's new home, leaving Harry and Meghan feeling like "sitting ducks" whenever they were stationary in traffic.

The seven-year-old and five-year-old spent only 48 hours at the unnamed prep school before being "reluctantly" pulled out on the recommendation of the Sussexes' private security team, who warned that the daily journey was putting their operation under "strain".

The couple had only been able to trial the route to the school during the summer break, before term-time traffic revealed the true scale of congestion.

Once lessons began, the journey from their home to the school gates stretched to as long as an hour in each direction.

A particularly alarming incident occurred when the Sussexes' vehicles were unable to maintain formation in heavy traffic, prompting their close protection officers to flag the commute as unsustainable.

Those around the couple have emphasised that their concerns related solely to the logistics of the journey rather than the school itself.

The private security detail had not had the opportunity to conduct a proper assessment of the route under normal term-time conditions, leaving significant gaps in their planning.

Archie and Lili attended a taster session at an alternative school in the area on Monday and are set to begin there shortly.

The Sussexes' security team is understood to be far more comfortable with the new arrangement, owing to a considerably shorter journey.

A spokesperson for the couple said: "The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family's security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements."

They added: "The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family. This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there."