It’s a new dawn for the royal family, signalled by a brand new photo. Today’s front page of The Sun offers a photo of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, carrying her son Archie in a sling. The image was taken in Vancouver, and shows Meghan looking healthy and happy as she walks her dogs and settles into her new life. But you may also be struck with how candid the shot is. It’s not every day we see a royal out in public. But as Meghan, and her husband Harry, step back from their roles as senior royals, the rules seem to have changed.
The British press - and the photographers who work for them or sell images to them - are bound by privacy laws. But there is also a second layer of security that benefits the royal family: a sense of decorum in this country that means that they are often left alone when they are not at a public event or on an official engagement. Now that they've left The Firm, it seems that Harry and Meghan have already lost this benefit.
'The Canadian press gave her very wide berth when she lived here', royal correspondent Richard Berthelsen tells Grazia. 'And they gave her and Harry an extremely wide berth when they were in Victoria too. The press knew a lot about it but chose not to write it. But how they conduct themselves in North America will all change: if they undertake charitable and Royal activities here in Canada then they're going to be seen as more fair game, rather than, say, a holiday here. '
There are a few instances where members of the family have disputed the legality of such images being released. In 2016, Prince George was photographed sitting on a police motorbike. The images, watchdogs rules stated, breached his privacy. In 2017, The Duchess of Cambridge received damages after topless photos of her were taken and printed abroad. But such complaints are not always uphold: in 2012, Buckingham Palace approached the British Press Complaints Commission, alleging that images of Harry in a Las Vegas Hotel room were an invasion of his privacy. Their complaints were not upheld.
It's a murky area, and the family pick their battles. Kate, for example, did not take umbrage with photos taken of her shopping at Waitrose. But as Harry and Meghan try to work out the rules of their new life, one thing is certain: they might have to get used to some unexpected side effects.