U.K. agency agrees not to photograph Duchess of Sussex, family

ENTERTAINMENT

U.K. agency agrees not to photograph Duchess of Sussex, family

Published Friday, December 18, 2020 11:27AM EST

In this Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holding their son Archie, meet with Anglican Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu, and his wife Leah in Cape Town, South Africa. The Duchess of Sussex has settled a claim against Splash News and Picture Agency, with the agency agreeing not to take any photos of her, her husband the Duke of Sussex or their son Archie, should it come out of administration, the High Court has heard. Meghan brought privacy and data protection claims against Splash in March this year over 鈥渓ong lens鈥� photographs taken of her and her son in a Canadian park in January. (Henk Kruger/African News Agency via AP, Pool, File)

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LONDON -- A news and photography agency has agreed not to take pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son, Archie, the High Court in London was told at a hearing Friday.

The agreement is part of a settlement between the former Meghan Markle and U.K. company Splash News and Picture Agency of a case she filed in March over photos of her and her son taken in a Canadian park in January. The agency has since gone into administration, a type of bankruptcy protection.

A spokesman for Schillings, legal representatives for Prince Harry and his wife, called the settlement 鈥渁 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.鈥�

A similar claim against Splash US, a sister company to Splash UK, is continuing in the British court system, the spokesman added.

Under the agreement announced Friday, Splash UK undertakes not to photograph the duke, duchess or their son in the future if the agency comes out of administration.

In a separate privacy case, Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, over publication of a letter the duchess wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.

Meghan and Harry stepped down from their royal duties at the end of March and are now based in Los Angeles.