An urgent situation

Meghan & Harry In "Race" To Stop Release Of Archie Photos, Lawyer Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fear that illegal drone photos of their son Archie will get published "any day" now. On July 31, their lawyer spoke of this urgency at a Santa Monica, California, courthouse. And, in an early win for their case, their application was granted for subpoenas on three Los Angeles photography agencies. Here's what's new in the invasion of privacy lawsuit.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue their attempt to prevent the publication of photos of their son Archie, which they allege were taken illegally at their L.A. home.

On July 31, their lawyer, Michael Kump, appeared at a Santa Monica courthouse to intervene in the apparently rapidly-evolving situation with the photos. In court, Judge Craig Karlan granted permission for subpoenas on records of three L.A. photography agencies, according to the Daily Mail. The belief is that the agencies could be involved in the handling of the pictures.

Harry & Meghan's lawyer releases a statement in court

In court, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's attorney provided the following statement: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son's right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions."

The statement continued, with emphasis on the urgency of the situation. "This is a race against the clock because there is a significant risk these illegally-taken photos could be published in the United States or United Kingdom any day," the statement said.

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Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan's invasion of privacy lawsuit

The invasion of privacy lawsuit was filed last week — though Harry and Meghan had expressed concerns about overhead drone activity at their L.A. home dating back to May 2020.

They allege that drones were flown over their L.A. home to illegally photograph 1-year-old Archie in the backyard. They then say that these photographs were marketed with "misleading" captions that place the location elsewhere during a "public outing" in California.

But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex assert that since moving to L.A., Archie has not left the property even once. Since late March, the family-of-three has been living in Tyler Perry's L.A. mansion, where they say the photos were taken. They hope to "unmask" the paparazzi behind the photo(s) and misleading captions.

It's no doubt a frantic time for the Sussexes, as their names have dominated the headlines in recent weeks. Not only did they file the lawsuit, but the drama of their early relationship and experiences as royals have been revisited through new extracts of upcoming biography Finding Freedom. Harry and Meghan, however, have distanced themselves from any relationship with the book and its authors.