Prince Harry, Meghan issue legal warning over paparazzi photos in Canada
Prince Harry and Meghan may be off to a rocky start with the media as they begin to chart their futures as non-working members of Britain's royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's legal team has issued a legal notice to U.K. media and photo agencies concerning the use of paparazzi agency photos, a source close to the Sussexes confirmed to ABC News.
Duchess Meghan, 38, was photographed by paparazzi Monday on Vancouver Island walking her two dogs and carrying Archie, her 8-month-old son, with Harry.
Prince Harry, 35, flew from the U.K. to Vancouver Monday night and was photographed as he left the plane, wearing jeans and a beanie and carrying his own bag.
The family of three reunited in Canada after spending nearly two weeks apart while Harry stayed in the U.K. to negotiate their future with his family and palace officials.
Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday that beginning this spring, Harry and Meghan will no longer use their HRH titles and will no longer be "working members" of the royal family.
The couple and Archie plan to spend the majority of their time living in North America, though they will keep their Frogmore Cottage home in the U.K., for which they will pay rent and all operating costs.
Meghan and Harry, who also will give up his military patronages and titles, will no longer rely on public funds for their royal duties and will no longer travel overseas on behalf of Her Majesty. They are still members of the royal family and will attend family events like Trooping the Colour when invited by the queen, according to a palace source.
Harry made his first remarks about his and Meghan's new roles at an event Sunday night where he described their exit from royal life as a "step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life."
"You've looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us," Harry said. "It has been our privilege to serve you, and we will continue to lead a life of service."
Harry is currently waging a legal battle against several media outlets in the U.K.
Buckingham Palace confirmed in October that Harry has started legal action with regard to "the illegal interception of voicemail messages."
Harry and Meghan are also taking legal action against a British tabloid for what they allege was an invasion of privacy.
The tabloid targeted in the lawsuit, the Mail on Sunday, published a letter in February it claimed was one Meghan wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, after he missed her May 2018 wedding to Harry.
Harry, whose mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi, issued a statement announcing the legal move in which he described Meghan as "one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences."
"Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself," Harry said in the statement. "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."
