A group of paparazzi who photographed the Duchess of Sussex and her young son Archie while out for a walk near their home have “illegally attacked” their secrecy and agreed not to family photography in the future, a court heard Friday.
Mr Justice Nicklin heard the statement in open court at a remote hearing on Friday over a privacy and data protection claim by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her son with Prince Harry against Splash News and Picture Agency.
The group is now in administration – but a statement read to the court said the parties had agreed to settle the claim over the photos, which were taken in a “remote rural setting” in a park in Canada. They continued: “The administration of Splash UK has accepted that, should the entity become out of administration, Splash UK will not provide any photographs of the duke and duchess or son in the future.”
A spokesman for the law firm of the Schillings couple said the case would have decided that another lawsuit against a U.S.-based sister group would continue.
The spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have settled a lawsuit earlier this year against paparazzi group Splash UK.
“This arrangement is a clear signal that illegal, aggressive and abusive behavior by paparazzi is unacceptable, and that the couple are paying attention to these issues – just as any family would.
“Simultaneous and similar claims against Splash US, a sister company to Splash UK, continue to move forward in the British courts system.”
Meghan’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, told the court that “the taking of the photographs constituted an unlawful invasion of privacy”. She said the photos were taken “on a private family outing in a remote rural setting and there was no public interest in the photos”.
She noted that the day before the photographs were taken, the Splash photographer had “fully inspected the Duke and Duchess’s private home, walking around looking for entry and exit points. identify him and put his camera over the fence to take pictures ”.
A representative of the group’s administrators, Neil Allen, said they accepted the contents of the report.
At a hearing in September, Duchess’s attorney Jonathan Barnes said Meghan and her son had been “paped” by a photographer for the group.
He said the group sold the images, taken on January 20 this year, which show the duchess walking with her son in a baby sling, and the two dogs her, in the Horth Hill regional park on Vancouver Island in Canada.
The case was brought by Meghan alone and from her and her husband, the Duke of Sussex, on behalf of Archie.