Kings Can't Do Everything: Prince Harry and Meghan's Scandal with Photographers
The Backgrid photo agency has mocked the demands of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's lawyers to provide photos and videos of the couple taken in New York on Tuesday night. The agency said that it had received an official letter from the Sussex legal team, the BBC reports.
The letter, which was not shown to journalists, reads in part: “We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately provide us with copies of all photographs, videos and/or films taken last night by freelance photographers after the couple left their event and onwards in the following hours.”
The agency replied, “In America, as I am sure you know, property belongs to its owner: third parties cannot simply demand that it be given to them, as perhaps kings can do.”
“Perhaps you should talk to your client and let them know that its English rules of royal prerogative to require citizens to hand over their property to the Crown were long ago rejected by that country.”
The BBC notes that there is no royal prerogative in the UK, and there has long been tension between the royal family and the British media over privacy.
Following this, Backgrid said it was investigating the behaviour of four freelance photographers who were involved in photographing the Sussexes, despite the agency disputing the couple's characterization of the incident.
According to the agency, the photographers believe that the couple was never in “immediate danger at any time.” During the chase, the car carrying the Duke and Duchess, her mother and a bodyguard was twice redirected to a nearby police station.
Earlier, on Tuesday night, in New York, after the Women of Vision Awards 2023 ceremony, where Meghan was the winner, photographers chased the couple for pictures.
The following morning, news broke that the couple had been involved in a “near-catastrophic car chase.” The New York Police Department released a statement saying, “The NYPD assisted a private security team that was guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were many photographers who made transportation difficult. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination, but there were no reports of any collisions, challenges, injuries, or arrests in connection with this.”
As a reminder, the United States of America declared independence from the Crown of Great Britain in July 1776.