Meghan Markle settles court case with paparazzi agency that photographed Archie

Meghan Markle has settled her lawsuit against the paparazzi agency that photographed her walking with her son Archie on Vancouver Island, Canada earlier this year. The Splash News and Picture Agency is currently in bankruptcy and has agreed not to take any photos of Meghan, Archie, or Prince Harry if the agency emerges from bankruptcy, The Guardian reports. The Guardian reports. (Open in new tab) The Sussexes filed a legal claim against the agency after Meghan was photographed walking with Archie and their two dogs at Horse Hill Regional Park on Vancouver Island on January 20.

According to a statement read to the court at a remote hearing before Judge Nicklin, "Splash UK management has promised that Splash UK will not take any further photos of the Duke and Duchess or their son if the agency is removed from their control." A spokesman for Neil Allen, the administrator of Splash UK, told the Guardian that he accepted this statement.

A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry's law firm, Schillings, said the Sussex couple's claim against Splash UK's sister company, Splash US, was still in motion." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have successfully settled legal claims brought earlier this year against paparazzi agency Splash UK. The settlement "is a clear statement that illegal, invasive, and intrusive paparazzi behavior will not be tolerated and shows that the couple takes these issues seriously.

"Concurrent and similar claims against Splash UK's sister company, Splash US, continue to move forward in the UK court system," the spokesperson concluded.

Meghan's lawyer, Jenny Afia, said during the hearing that "the taking of the photographs constitutes an unlawful invasion of privacy," adding that "they were taken on a private family outing in the remote countryside and there is no public interest in the photographs."

According to Afia, the day before the photos in question were taken, an agency photographer "did a complete reconnaissance of the Duke and Duchess' private residence, walking around to check the entrances and exits and placing his camera over the fence to take pictures."

In October, Meghan and Harry also won an apology from U.S. news agency X17, which reportedly used a drone to take photos of Archie while the family was in Los Angeles. X17 said in a statement, as reported by the BBC, "We apologize for any distress caused to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son." (Open in new tab) "We were wrong to provide these photos and we promise never to do this again."

"We are sorry for the pain and suffering caused to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son.