The Duchess of Sussex has reportedly sparked a security scare after her personal mobile number was leaked in a WhatsApp chat.

It came as Meghan Markle also shared another array of personal photographs to her millions of Instagram followers to mark husband Prince Harry’s 42nd birthday on Tuesday.

“He’s simply the best. Happy birthday, my love,” Meghan wrote on Instagram to accompany the post.

It was a slide show that featured photos of the Duke of Sussex with children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Harry and Meghan sharing a kiss in a vineyard, and the family riding a quad bike in the British countryside.

Tuesday’s post followed another shared by Meghan at the weekend – a 34-second video clip of her family enjoying their new life in the British countryside. It showed Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, enjoying the outdoors with their father, and Harry and Meghan walking hand in hand on a country path.

While the precise location of the footage has not been revealed, numerous internet sleuths have claimed they have used it to pinpoint the exact house the family is living in since returning to Britain in August.

The latest developments are fuel for the renewed security row that has engulfed the Sussexes this week, after they abruptly pulled Archie and Lilibet from their new British school amid concerns about the safety of their daily commute.

In a further complication, The Sun reported on Wednesday (Australian time) that Meghan’s personal phone number had leaked from a school parents’ WhatsApp chat.

She joined the group conversation the night before the couple’s children were to begin at their British school.

“Welcome to Meghan who has Archie joining tomo,” wrote one mum.

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 widely shared.

The screenshot has become public. Image: The Sun

It emerged on Tuesday that Archie and Lilibet were taken out of their new school after only two days because the family’s private security guards had raised concerns about the traffic.

Issues included the amount of time the children would spend in stationary traffic, the ability for the family car and security vehicle to stay together and the repeated pattern of doing the journey every day.

Another concern was raised about a “pinch point” caused by parked cars that meant the children’s trip to school took up to an hour instead of the expected 35 minutes.

Archie and Lilibet have reportedly started at another school near the Sussexes’ new home in the Cotswolds.

British media reported on Wednesday that parents described flurries of text messages on Monday as word spread through the community of the new school that the Sussex children would be joining.

“The parents’ WhatsApp groups have been buzzing. It’s all been very sudden and lots of people are talking about it,” one parent told The Mirror.

“The school is very academic with a lovely close knit village feel. All the parents talk to each other, so as long as they are friendly they’ll fit right in.”

Another parent said the commotion was noticeable.

“This is a small community school and we are not used to anything like it and certainly not famous parents rocking up in blacked out cars to drop their children off,” they said.

“Once the excitement dampens down for some, I am sure they [Harry and Meghan] will be invited to school events like any other parent. It’s a wonderful atmosphere here and I hope they will want to get involved in everything from school fundraisers to cheering on all our sports teams.”

Photos of Harry and children Archie and Lilibet shared by Meghan at the weekend.

This week’s developments come as Harry and Meghan await a new risk assessment from the British government committee that reviews protection of VIPs, including a decision on whether they should be entitled to publicly funded security now that they live in Britain.

Britain’s Telegraph reports the duchess is getting a separate assessment for the first time since stepping back as a senior royal in 2020.

Harry had another assessment in July, according to the Telegraph, although he is yet to learn its conclusion. It was done before the Sussexes’ decision to return to Britain became public.

Harry and Meghan lost their taxpayer-funded police protection when they gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago.

Their relations with the rest of the royal family have soured, although Harry has recently expressed an interest in reconciliation so he could spend more time with his father, the King.

Harry has fought a long-running battle with Britain’s government for the restoration of publicly funded protection. He had previously said he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK” without a security guarantee.

Last week, the King authorised an official letter from Buckingham Palace that reiterated that the duke and duchess remain non-working members of the royal family. They are also to continue to refrain from using formal royal titles, such as his royal highness and her royal highness, as they have done since 2020.

The couple said they were surprised by how the letter was made public and were given little time to review it.

-with AAP