Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sue over drone photos of baby Archie

The royal couple have pulled the trigger on a new legal battle over a series of photos taken of baby Archie earlier this year.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have filed a lawsuit against unidentified Los Angeles photographers over allegedly illegal images they claim were taken of their baby son within the grounds of their Beverly Hills home during lockdown.

According to a complaint filed this week in an LA court, the once-senior royals – who fled the UK in a bid to live as private citizens in the US – are suing over “serial intrusions on the privacy of a 14-month-old child in his own home, and the desire and responsibility of any parent to do what is necessary to protect their children from this manufactured feeding frenzy”.

Meghan and baby Archie.

The suit alleges that after the couple and their son moved to Vancouver Island in Canada earlier this year, they were hounded by paparazzi once the Daily Mail published their exact location, forcing them to relocate.

They ended up moving into entertainment mogul Tyler Perry’s lavish home in a gated community in LA, but according to Harry and Meghan, once the Daily Mail again printed their address, they were once more subjected to constant paparazzi intrusions.

The suit claims the family has been the victim of drones, photographers and helicopters since their move, with holes even being cut in their security fences.

It goes on to state that they’d ignored the problem until they discovered that photos of their young son were being offered around to agencies.

The suit explains that the unknown seller is claiming the pictures were taken in Malibu – but Harry and Meghan have insisted it’s a false label as Archie hasn’t been taken out in public during lockdown.

Unsolicited pictures of a young child in their own home are illegal.

Harry and Meghan are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The couple are trying to build a life as private citizens. Picture: Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently engaged in a separate lawsuit against Associated Newspapers – the parent company of Mail on Sunday – over the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 relating to the publication of a letter written by Meghan.

The heartfelt and emotional letter, which was provided to Mail on Sunday by its recipient, Meghan’s father Thomas Markle Senior, was sent in August 2018, three months after the royal wedding.

The couple allege the letter was published illegally and selectively edited to hide “lies” reported about her.

In a statement released last year, Harry explained “this particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media”.

“The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question,” he said.

Mail on Sunday issued its own statement in response, denying the Duke’s claims.

“The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously. Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.”

The case is currently before the UK courts.