Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are suing the paparazzi for invading their privacy to take "illegal" photos of their son Archie inside their Southern California home.
In a suit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Harry and Markle name three different John Doe defendants who have intruded "on the privacy of a 14-month-old child in his own home." The legal action comes as a measure to protect their son from the "manufactured feeding frenzy," according to Fox News.
The couple, who stepped back as senior members of the British royal family in January, have been living in a gated community in Los Angeles since leaving Canada after they left the U.K. Their complaint says paparazzi and media outlets have been flying drones and helicopters "as often as three times a day" above their residence to obtain photographs of Archie.
"Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home," said their lawyer Michael Kump. "No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right. 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."
Harry and Markle took action after they discovered that an unidentified photographer had been shopping various photos of their son to publications. The suit further notes that it is illegal to take photos of a minor child in the privacy of their own home.
The couple are hoping the lawsuit will help them identify the photographer and media outlet and once that is done, the suit says Harry and Markle "will seek court orders (1) requiring the offending parties to turn over all photographs unlawfully taken of their son, and (2) enjoining those persons who took the photographs, and those who are shopping them, from further unlawful conduct and harassment of the Plaintiffs and their son, along with any and all other appropriate relief," per Deadline.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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