- This morning, reported in several outlets, Prince Harry won damages and an apology from Splash News for taking intrusive helicopter photos of their private Oxfordshire home.
- The photos apparently showed so much that they actually give detail of what the inside of the house looks like. Meghan and Harry had quietly moved into the home during her pregnancy.
- Meghan and Harry had recently moved into Frogmore Cottage earlier this year, and the security for that residence was extremely tight.
This morning, Splash News issued an apology and gave "substantial damages" to Prince Harry for taking helicopter photos of their Oxfordshire home, which were then published online in some news outlets. Reportedly, the pictures were so intrusive that the couple can no longer live in that home. The photos were taken in early January of this year, after Frogmore Cottage had started to undergo renovations. Damages that Harry and Meghan Markle have won will reportedly go to charity.
The royals' lawyer said, "The property had been chosen by the Duke for himself and his wife given the high level of privacy it afforded, given its position in a secluded area surrounded by private farmland away from any areas to which photographers have access."
This doesn't look like Adelaide Cottage, the Windsor cottage that Queen Elizabeth may have gifted to Harry and Meghan for their wedding, or Frogmore Cottage, which is Meghan and Harry's primary residence in Windsor. So this is a separate, private residence; For context, Oxfordshire is about 45 minutes away from Frogmore, in the countryside.
Royal reporter Omid Scobie elaborated, based on an explanation from the royals' lawyer, that the couple could no longer live at that house because of just how intrusive the photos were. Think: A look at the actual rooms inside the house:
His lawyer said photos showing inside Harry and Meghan’s living room, dining area and bedroom undermined the couple’s safety and security “to the extent that they are no longer able to live at the property.”A palace rep says Harry “acknowledges and welcomes the formal apology.”May 16, 2019
It also seems like Meghan and Harry had quietly moved in, according to lawyers for the case, who told the judge that the couple were forced to move out, according to The Guardian.
As much as I would love to be a fly on the wall to see the gorgeous designs of the royal family's private homes, it makes sense that some things just have to remain private, for privacy and security's sake.
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