- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are suing a photographer after learning that private photos of their son Archie taken at their Los Angeles home are being shopped to potential tabloids.
- The Sussexes have officially filed a complaint and are hoping to unveil the identity of the photographer as well as receive compensatory and punitive damages over the photos.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are pursuing legal action after learning that photos of their one-year-old son Archie from the privacy of their home are currently being shopped to tabloids.
According to documents obtained by BAZAAR.com, the Sussexes' attorney Michael Klump details the couple's decision to file the official complaint. Per the document, the photographer claims the photos in question were taken while the couple were out in public in Malibu, but Harry and Meghan confirm that Archie has not been taken anywhere outside the couple's home, let alone Malibu, since they moved to Los Angeles.
Based on the description of the photos, the couple believes the images were taken of Archie in their backyard, according to the filing. The documents describe the photographer's intentions as a "relentless and quite frankly shocking effort" to intrude on the privacy of a 14-month-old boy.
Chris Jackson//Getty Images
“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," Kump, of Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert LLP, said in a statement. "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."
Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do not know the identity of the photographer who snapped the photos of Archie, they are hoping to uncover the person's identity by subpoenaing people who might have knowledge about the images. The couple wants the photographer and any prospective buyers to turn over all images. They're also seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the breach of privacy.
The Sussexes acknowledge in the lawsuit that they understand the public interest surrounding themselves, but unlike their day-to-day work, private photos of their young son "are not news. They are not in the public interest. They are harassment." The royal couple claims the photos are an attempt to "profit from a child" and the fact that the shots have already been seen by hundreds of potential buyers is "disgusting and wrong."
Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfmLKtscGroK2xX6GutbHSrWaaa2NpfnSEknBmqaqZo7CmeceaqauxXaKyqLTAp2SmmaKguaZ5yKetmquZpLtuu8Vmp6uhppawunnLmq6srZmpfA%3D%3D