- More by Caleb Simmons
Prince Harry shows how the new generation of Brotish Royalty won’t go easy on Newspapers
| Al-Sahawat Times |
To be notified of developments as they break |
|---|
Al-Sahawat Times | Ethical Global News from Oman and UAE | Donate HERE
The British Royal Family has endured a lot from the media both news media and social media.
From harassment following the death of Prince Harry’s mother Princess Diana through naked photographs of Prince William’s wife to racist abuse of Prince Harry’s wife, suits star, Meghan Markle.
The new generation of Royals have started to hit back. Earlier this year Buckingham Palace announced it would seek tough legal action against anyone insulting the Royal Family on social media.
This week BBC presenter Danny Baker was fired immediately over racist social media posts about Meghan Markle. The case was referred to the metropolitan police and is currently under investigation.
Today Prince Harry showed news media would also be dealt with strongly.
Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex has accepted “substantial damages” and a strong formal apology from a news agency after photos were taken of his home from a helicopter.
According to Prince Harry’s royal lawyers, the photos showed the Oxfordshire home’s interior and “very seriously undermined” his safety.
The photos, which were taken in January, showed the living area, dining area and “directly into the bedroom”, the High Court in London heard.
They were published in The Times newspaper and elsewhere online.
Barrister Gerrard Tyrrell told the court that the prince-duke and his wife the Duchess of Sussex had chosen the Cotswolds home because of privacy it offered.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Splash said it had “always recognised that this situation represents an error of judgement and we have taken steps to ensure it will not be repeated”.
“We apologise to the duke and duchess for the distress we have caused.”
Mr Tyrrell said the agency had promised to “cease and desist from selling, issuing, publishing or making available the photographs”.
It also said it “will not repeat its conduct by using any aerial means to take photographs or film footage of the duke’s private home which would infringe privacy or data rights or otherwise be unlawful activity”.
Should the agency photograph the prince in his private settings or the settings again criminal proceedings will be much more rigorous the second time around.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said Harry “acknowledges and welcomes the formal apology from Splash News and Picture Agency”.
It is unclear if the “substantial damages” will put the agency out of business at this stage.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Al-Sahawat Times than ever but advertising revenues across the global media industry are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a total paywall. We want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Al-Sahawat Times’ independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe truly ethical media and an unbias perspective really matters.
“I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information.”
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, the future of ethical media and the futures of our staff and their families would be much more secure. For as little as £1, you can support Al-Sahawat Times and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
This story is available on:
APPLE NEWS | GOOGLE NEWS | AL-SAHAWAT TIMES
Talk to a journalist
Email: NewsDesk@alsahawat.com
Web: alsahawat.com
Follow Al-Sahawat Times
⬆️ Follow on Instagram
⬆️ Follow on Twitter
⬆️ Follow on LinkedIn
⬆️ Follow on Facebook
⬆️ Follow on YouTube
?Read it on FLIPBOARD
