Harry and Meghan in fresh privacy dispute after reuniting in Canada
Lawyers say Duchess did not consent to having her photograph taken
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in a fresh privacy dispute over photographs taken of Meghan in Vancouver Island.
In the images, which have been published by some UK outlets, Meghan is pictured walking her two dogs and carrying her son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Given that Meghan is smiling in the photographs, reports circulated that she had consented to the images.
But the couple issued a legal warning to the media insisting the Duchess did not consent to having her photograph taken and that the paparazzi had been spying on her.
The lawyers added that they were prepared to take legal action.
According to British Columbia law, Meghan could have grounds to file a legal complaint if she is able to prove a violation of her privacy.
The new legal warning comes after it was revealed that Meghan would be taking legal action against a UK newspaper for publishing one of her private letters to her father, Thomas Markle.
Meghan has accused the Mail on Sunday of breaching copyright and selective edition, in addition to misuse of her private information.
However, the Mail on Sunday argued there was “huge and legitimate” public interest in publishing the letter.
In October, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry had taken separate legal action against the owners of The Daily Mirror, The Sun and the now defunct News of the World over phone hacking.
Harry and Meghan have had a strained relationship with the press since the early days of their relationship.
In November 2016, Harry released a statement calling out the “racial undertones” of newspaper comment pieces and “outright sexism” that had been exhibited on social media with regards to Meghan, his then-girlfriend.
On 8 January, Meghan and Harry announced their decision to “step back” from their royal roles in order to become financially independent. They also plan to pay back the £2.4 million that was spent refurbishing their UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
The couple have said they intend to split their time between the UK and North America, though they are currently residing in Vancouver Island.
On their website, they said that, as part of their new life, they would be overhauling their relationship with the press.
Meghan and Harry said they would be pulling out of the royal rota system, which gives newspapers and broadcasters access to pooled resources with which to report their activities, they said, and will favour “grassroots” media organisations and “young, up-and-coming journalists”.
Now, their media strategy is even less likely to conform to convention, given the pair have relinquished their HRH titles and are no longer considered working members of the royal family, a decision reached following a crisis summit with the Queen at her Sandringham estate.
Speaking about his future at a private dinner in London for his charity Sentebale, Prince Harry described his and Meghan’s choices as a “leap of faith”, adding: “There really was no other option.”
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