There may be one less paparazzi agency that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to worry about.
Back in March, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filed a lawsuit against paparazzi agency Splash U.K. after photos were taken of them at a Canadian park in January – there’s also a lawsuit against Splash U.S. moving forward in British courts.
Per Entertainment Tonight, the court has ruled in favor of the royal couple and the agency has pledged to no longer take photos of their family.
“Splash U.K. will not take any photographs of the Duke and Duchess or their son in the future,” said the agency’s statement, which was read in court,
A spokesman from Harry and Meghan’s law firm, Shillings, also issued a statement: “As explained in today’s hearing, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have successfully settled a legal claim brought at the beginning of this year against the paparazzi agency Splash U.K. This settlement is a clear signal that unlawful, invasive, and intrusive paparazzi behavior will not be tolerated, and that the couple takes these matters seriously – just as any family would.”
Prince Harry and Meghan have been dealing with privacy cases for months.
In July, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filed a complaint to a Los Angeles court via their attorney Michael J. Kump.
According to Fox News, the couple filed the complaint due to alleged “serial intrusions on the privacy of a 14-month-old child in his own home,” in addition to “the desire and responsibility of any parent to do what is necessary to protect their children from this manufactured feeding frenzy.”
Apparently, Prince Harry and Meghan saw a photo of baby Archie, which was shot while he was in their yard. It had been taken without their knowledge, was being offered to media outlets as purportedly taken on a family outing in Malibu.
“Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home. No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right,” Atty. Kump said in a statement on Thursday. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son’s right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions.”
They’ve also had to deal with drones flying around their home.
Back in May, report of low-flying drones on their property were made to the Los Angeles Police Department on five separate occasions, per The Daily Beast.
A source also told Entertainment Tonight that the presence of the drones has them concerned for their family’s safety.
“They don’t know who’s flying them. They assume it’s probably photographers, but they can’t be sure of that assumption,” the source told the outlet. It is really creepy that people could be taking photos. They feel like they’re being invaded. It’s especially scary when they’re outside with Archie. It’s really scary.”
Yikes! It’s one thing to get photographed grabbing take out or on a coffee run. Getting hounded by drones and long lenses in your own home is another thing altogether.
