Following a hearing over the case in London, a representative for the Splash News and Picture Agency expresses apology to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the distress they have caused.
- May 17, 2019
AceShowbiz - Prince Harry has accepted damages and an apology from news agency chiefs over aerial photographs of him and his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex's country home.
The British royal's lawyers told a U.K. High Court hearing in London on Thursday, May 16 that the pictures, taken from a helicopter for the Splash News and Picture Agency, included one of the inside of a bedroom at the privately rented property in Oxfordshire, England.
According to the BBC, they said the snaps, which were published in the press and online in January, "seriously undermined" the couple's safety at the property, which they had chosen for its private setting.
Apologising to Harry and Meghan, a representative for Splash said, "Splash has always recognised that this situation represents an error of judgement and we have taken steps to ensure it will not be repeated. We apologise to the Duke and Duchess for the distress we have caused."
A statement read in court on Harry's behalf indicated the couple had abandoned plans to live in the country retreat due to the privacy breach.
The amount Splash chiefs have agreed to pay in damages has not been disclosed, but it is reportedly a substantial sum that will go to charity and to pay the Prince's legal costs.
The royals became parents to their first child, a son named Archie Harrison, earlier this month. Before the birth, they stayed in a cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England.
