'Archie has not been in public since the family arrived here.' Meghan and Harry to subpoena records of paparazzi they claim took illegal 'drone' pictures of their son at California home

  • A lawsuit filed by Harry and Meghan in Los Angeles last week alleges 'serial intrusions' into 14-month-old Archie's privacy 
  • They have accused photographers of putting misleading captions on pictures of Archie in the back garden in order to suggest they were taken in a public place
  • On Friday an LA judge  granted their application to serve subpoenas on three LA photo agencies that could be handling the pictures at issue 
  • The photos were allegedly taken by a drone flying above Hollywood producer Tyler Perry’s $18 million Beverly Hills mansion where Prince Harry and Meghan have been living since March
  • The lawsuit claims that drones and helicopters entered the privacy of the airspace above the couple's LA residence 
  • It also aims to 'uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions,' the complaint says 
  • Lawyers will now ‘immediately serve’ subpoenas for the business records  photo agencies that broker celebrity photos
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent their lawyer to court in California today as they try to ban the publication of photos of their 14 month-old son Archie they claim were taken by a drone flying above their home near Los Angeles. 
They have accused photographers of putting misleading captions on pictures of Archie in the back garden in order to suggest they were taken in a public place. 
'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,' their attorney said.  ‘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 royal couple’s attorney, Michael Kump, said in a written declaration to LA Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan at a hearing in Santa Monica. 
Judge Karlan granted Kump’s application for an order to serve subpoenas on three LA photo agencies that could be handling the pictures at issue which were allegedly taken by a drone flying above Hollywood producer Tyler Perry’s $18 million Beverly Hills mansion where Prince Harry and Meghan have been living since March. 
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, cited 'serial intrusions' of privacy of the couple's 14-month old child, and came as a measure to protect him from the 'manufactured feeding frenzy'.  Pictured is Meghan and Harry with Archie in 2019
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, cited 'serial intrusions' of privacy of the couple's 14-month old child, and came as a measure to protect him from the 'manufactured feeding frenzy'.  Pictured is Meghan and Harry with Archie in 2019 
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their one-year-old son Archie have called the $18 million mansion home since moving to LA at the end of March
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their one-year-old son Archie have called the $18 million mansion home since moving to LA at the end of March
In their invasion of privacy lawsuit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are trying to ‘unmask’ the photographer or photographers who they said not only took the photos, but also supplied a misleading caption claiming they were taken during a ‘public outing.’
'In fact, Archie has not been in public since the family arrived here,’ added Kump. 
‘This is not an innocent mistake, but an intentional attempt to evade liability (under a local statute that restricts taking photos on private property).’ 
Prince Harry and his TV star wife said in their lawsuit, filed last week, that they are trying to protect their one-y ear-oldson from a paparazzi ‘feeding frenzy’ and they accused photographers of ‘intimidation, harassment and the addition of a very real security threat on top of what already exists.’ 
Meghan and Harry have only been spotted out a handful of times since their move to LA in March, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel 'cooped up', leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday. Pictured on July 10
Meghan and Harry have only been spotted out a handful of times since their move to LA in March, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel 'cooped up', leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday. Pictured on July 10 
On Friday an LA judge granted their application to serve subpoenas on three LA photo agencies that could be handling the pictures at issue
Claiming that some snappers ‘have crossed a red line,’ they said they have taken several measures to ensure their privacy including the installation of a large mesh fence around Perry’s luxury home to prevent pictures being taken by telephoto lenses. 
But they haven’t been able to protect themselves against drones which they claim have been flown ‘a mere 20 feet above the house as often as three times a day.’ 
The royal pair also complained in court documents that photographers have hired helicopters to fly over the house as early as 5.30am and some paparazzi have even cut holes in the property’s fence to snap photos. 
They haven’t been able to identify the one or more photographers responsible for the Archie photos and their lawyer’s successful ex-parte action in court today now allows them to ‘immediately serve’ subpoenas for the business records of Splash, Backgrid and X17 - all photo agencies that broker celebrity photos and sell them to newspapers, magazines and news websites worldwide - to help find the alleged culprit/s.
Meghan Markle addresses a virtual Women in Leadership summit on July 14, four months after the royal couple moved to Los Angeles
The pair have only been spotted out a handful of times, most recently leaving an appointment in Beverly Hills, as the friend explained the couple is starting to feel 'cooped up', leaving Meghan ready to get out of town for her birthday. 
Royal watchers are meanwhile keenly awaiting the publication of a new biography Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. 
The authors boast the book published next month has been written 'with the participation of those closest to the couple'. 
Publishers say the book has 'unique access' and will 'reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan's life together'.  
Reports claim that Harry and Meghan have spoken to the authors personally, although this has not been confirmed. 
Separately, it was recently revealed that Meghan's mother Doria Ragland had moved into Tyler Perry's mega-mansion to help take care of Archie. 
A friend previously told DailyMail.com that Meghan wants to keep her mother close because she is 'her rock' and now 'doesn't trust many people' outside of an immediate circle of family and friends. 
Meghan had the full support of her mother when she and Prince Harry quit as senior royals back in January.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped the bombshell news that they were quitting, dividing their time between North America and the UK and would work to become financially independent, the royal family and the rest of the world were caught off guard.
However, Meghan reportedly had the backing of her Los Angeles-based mother, who 'was really worried about Meghan... and is relieved that her daughter is putting her mental health and well being first,' the insider said.
The friend added: 'Doria is very much about being true to oneself and so of course she will continue to encourage Meghan to take the road less traveled.'

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