Paparazzi agencies pay damages to Duke of Sussex for privacy invasion

Splash News and Picture Agency Limited and Splash News & Picture Agency LLC ('Splash') have apologised and agreed to pay substantial damages to the Duke of Sussex after using a helicopter to take photographs of his home in the Cotswolds.

In January of this year Splash chartered a helicopter which flow over the Duke's home at a low altitude allowing it to take photographs of the living areas, including the bedroom.  The photographs were subsequently published in a number of news outlets, including The Times.

The Duke complained that Splash's actions amounted to a misuse of private information, breach of Article 8 ECHR rights and the GDPR.  He claimed that the publications had seriously undermined the safety and security of the home to the extent that it was no longer possible to live there.

In a High Court hearing before Mr Justice Warby on 16 May 2019, the Duke's lawyers made a unilateral statement to the court.  In the statement they confirmed that Splash had apologised, agreed to pay substantial damages and legal costs and undertaken not to further sell the photographs or engage in similar conduct in the future.

A copy of the full statement can be found here.

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