Prince Harry has won “substantial damages” from a news agency that has apologised for taking aerial photos of the country home he and Meghan Markle lived in before they moved to Windsor.
According to People, the pictures were taken from a chartered helicopter that flew close to their former home in Oxfordshire in January. The low-altitude shots were said to have looked “into the living area and dining area of the home and directly into the bedroom.”
Harry’s lawyers told the High Court in London that the home “had been chosen by the Duke for himself and his wife given the high level of privacy it afforded given its position in a secluded area surrounded by private farmland away from any areas to which photographers have access.”
They further argued that the release of the images “very seriously undermined the safety and security of The Duke and the home to the extent that they are no longer able to live at the property.”
Following the court proceedings, the media agency Splash, agreed to pay a substantial sum in damages and legal costs and has apologised to The Duke.
Buckingham Palace, in a short statement, said that Harry “acknowledges and welcomes the formal apology from Splash News and Picture Agency as referenced in the Statement in Open Court today.” Reports also suggest that the money that Prince Harry receives in damages will be given to a charity of his and Meghan’s choice.
