CULTURE

Photos of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s House in the Cotswolds Are Now Banned

The royals were awarded a "significant sum" after their privacy was invaded by paparazzi.


The Duke & Duchess Of Sussex Pose With Their Newborn Son
WPA Pool/Getty Images

If you saw photos of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s former house in the Cotswolds you’ve witnessed a piece of history that is now being redacted. After the paparazzi photo agency Splash News gathered photos of the pair’s private life by helicopter, the royals have banned the company from further selling the pictures. Now, Prince Harry has accepted a formal apology as well as “substantial damages” from Splash News, with Buckingham Palace issuing a rare statement about it.

In the statement, the Palace notes that “the syndication and publication of the photographs 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,” per CNN. It’s worth mentioning that Prince Harry and Markle have since moved to their newly renovated Frogmore cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Palace also mentioned how much the paparazzi invaded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s privacy while taking the photos, adding in their statement, “The helicopter flew over the home at a low altitude…to take photographs of and into the living area and dining area of the home and directly into the bedroom.”

In the aftermath of this settlement, Splash will no longer sell or publish photos of Prince Harry and Markle’s home, as well as “any photographs which are the same or colourably similar,” as Harper’s Bazaar points out. While Prince Harry and Markle’s privacy was breached by the photos, Prince Harry ended up with “a significant sum towards damages and legal fees, which will be put towards a donation to charity and covering The Duke’s legal costs,” as a source notes to the publication.

The timing of this settlement couldn’t be better for Markle and Prince Harry, who can now fully move on with their newly expanded family of three. Earlier this month, Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their first child together: a baby boy named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who will be reportedly raised in their Frogmore cottage. Harry couldn’t be any more thrilled about it, either, as his recent outing in a “Daddy” jacket showed and his recent interview proved when he said, “Parenting is amazing.” Now, they will be able to enjoy it with the reassurance of more privacy.