Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's latest legal win means they will no longer be photographed by a British paparazzi agency
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Friday settled a legal claim over photos taken by the paparazzi agency Splash UK that showed Markle with their son, Archie, in Canada.
- As part of the settlement, Splash UK agreed to refrain from taking pictures of Markle, Harry, or their son in the future, according to The Guardian.
- A statement obtained by Insider from a spokesperson for Schillings, Markle and Harry's legal representation, reads: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have successfully settled a legal claim brought at the beginning of this year against the paparazzi agency Splash UK."
- "This settlement is a clear signal that unlawful, invasive, and intrusive paparazzi behaviour will not be tolerated, and that the couple takes these matters seriously - just as any family would," Schillings' statement continued.
- The couple continues to move forward with other legal battles, including a separate claim against Splash US, and Markle's ongoing privacy lawsuit against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Friday settled a legal claim over photos taken by the British paparazzi agency Splash UK that showed Markle with their son, Archie, in Canada.
Markle sued Splash UK, claiming that the photos were an invasion of Archie's privacy, according to the Evening Standard. Markle also claimed that the photos violated data protection laws after they were sold to the Daily Mail and The Sun, according to Mail Online.
The Guardian reported on Friday that Splash UK "unlawfully invaded" the Sussexes' privacy when its photographers executed "a full reconnaissance inspection of the duke and duchess's private home, walking around it looking to identify entry and exit points and putting his camera over the fence to take photographs."
As part of the legal settlement with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Splash UK has agreed to refrain from taking photos of Markle, Harry, or Archie again, The Guardian reports.
"The administrators of Splash UK have undertaken that, should the entity come out of administration, Splash UK will not take any photographs of the duke and duchess or their son in the future," said a statement read to the court, according to The Guardian.
A statement obtained by Insider from a spokesperson for Schillings, Markle and Harry's legal representation, confirmed that the duke and duchess settled their legal claim against Splash UK.
"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 UK. This settlement is a clear signal that unlawful, invasive, and intrusive paparazzi behaviour will not be tolerated, and that the couple takes these matters seriously - just as any family would," Schillings' statement continued.
Schillings' statement added that Markle and Harry have an ongoing, separate legal claim against Splash US, which "continues to move forward in the British court system."
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to comment further. Splash UK did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The couple's latest legal win is separate from Markle's ongoing lawsuit with the publisher of the Mail on Sunday
While Markle and Harry's settlement with Splash UK marks one victory in their pursuit of privacy, they continue to move forward with other legal battles.
Markle is involved in an ongoing legal battle with the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, the Associated Newspapers. She is suing the newspaper publisher for the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright, and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 after the Mail on Sunday published a private letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle.
In October 2019, Harry released a rare statement to announce Markle's legal action against the Associated Newspapers, claiming that the Mail on Sunday omitted parts of his wife's letter to her father.
"In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you [the reader] by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year," Harry said in the statement.
Harry also referenced the media's spotlight on his mother, Princess Diana, when announcing Markle's privacy lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday publisher: "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."
In October, nearly a year after Harry announced his wife's legal action against the newspaper publisher, the High Court of London agreed to postpone Markle's court date by at least nine months. According to Hello! Magazine's online royal correspondent Danielle Stacey, the original trial date was set to be January 11, 2021.
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