Royals open fresh battlefront with paparazzi
Prince Harry and wife Meghan have issued a legal warning over paparazzi photographs of Meghan and the couple’s son, Archie, in Canada, complaining that they are being ‘‘stalked’’ following their split from Britain’s royal family.
Within hours of the Duke of Sussex joining his wife and son on Vancouver Island on Tuesday for a more ‘‘peaceful’’ life, lawyers Schillings sent out a strongly worded letter for the couple, claiming that images had been taken by paparazzi who had been ‘‘hiding in the bushes and spying’’.
The complaint came after British tabloid The Sun published pictures showing a smiling Duchess
of Sussex walking her dogs while carrying her 8-month-old son in a sling, accompanied by two bodyguards.
Although the former actress is captured cheerfully looking straight down the lens, sources close to the couple vehemently denied that she consented to the photos, and insisted they were extremely alarmed about recent paparazzi activity.
A royal source said: ‘‘After weeks of being stalked, their house surrounded, erratic car chases and photos taken into the house from photographers patrolling on boats, this is the final straw.
‘‘On Monday, a pap photographer, who had followed Meghan from the house, took surreptitious photos while hiding in the bushes. These photos have been published online and by a number of UK newspapers, with no consideration of how they were obtained.
‘‘This type of continual harassment, and the ignoring of numerous legal notices asking them to stop, obviously raises serious safety and security concerns and is causing them considerable distress.’’
The incident will raise questions about the couple’s decision to quit the United Kingdom due to the ‘‘bullying’’ British tabloids, when they were rarely pursued by paparazzi photographers due to a long-standing agreement between the palace and editors following the death of Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Now no longer members of the royal family, the couple are being treated as celebrities in North America – which one paparazzo said was ‘‘like the Wild West compared with Britain’’.
It will also raise questions over the couple’s publicly funded security, which is under review.
– Telegraph Group