On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filed a lawsuit in the state of California accusing unnamed paparazzi of unlawfully trying to photograph their son, Archie.
The lawsuit, obtained by TODAY, claims that photographers are going to great lengths to get these shots of their 14-month-old son, and then shopping the photos around like they were taken in public when they were taken in the privacy of their residences in North America.
This, their lawsuit alleges, is illegal.
"Some paparazzi and media outlets have flown drones a mere 20 feet above the house, as often as three times a day, to obtain photographs of the couple and their young son in their private residence (some of which have been sold and published)," the lawsuit says. "Others have flown helicopters above the backyard of the residence, as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as 7:00 p.m., waking neighbors and their son, day after day."
The docs were filed by celeb lawyer Michael Kump, and list John Doe as the defendant.
“Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home," Kump told TODAY in a statement. "No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right. 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.”
Since taking a step back from royal duties earlier this year, the former Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been living in Canada and the greater Los Angeles area, where the lawsuit alleges this harassment by the paparazzi has taken place.
"The Plaintiffs have done everything in their power to stay out of the limelight except in connection with their work, which they freely admit is newsworthy," the lawsuit adds. "But the photos at issue are not news. They are not in the public interest. They are harassment. The sole point to taking and / or selling such invasive photos is to profit from a child. Such sales, in turn stoke the paparazzi market and lead to ever more harassment.
"The fact that the images at issue remain in the possession of an unknown adult, having already been shown and shared to hundreds if not thousands of potential buyers, is disgusting and wrong."
This is a developing story.