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'All bets are off': What a paparazzo thinks will happen to Harry and Meghan's privacy after the royal split

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the WellChild Awards Ceremony in London, Britain, October 15, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will face more paparazzi, a UK photographer believes. (REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool)

Paparazzi are unlikely to be deterred by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bid for privacy in Canada, with one photographer declaring a “good” set of pictures could be worth around £250,000.

The Sussexes announced earlier this month that, following years of headlines attacking the couple, they wanted to step away from royalty, make their own money and only deal with the media on their terms.

This includes making use of Instagram to put out photos they want to share with the world.

George Bamby, a controversial paparazzo who has previously photographed royals including Harry, told Yahoo News UK their bid for independence from the Royal Family has driven a demand for photos that seems to be generating its own sub-industry.

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Bamby has said that newspaper editors across the world would rather see gritty paparazzi snaps than pretty photos published on social media.

Members of the news media wait at the base of Horth Hill close to the property where according to British news reports Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are staying in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Light
World media have come to Vancouver Island to report on Harry and Meghan. (REUTERS/Kevin Light)

“At the end of the day if you’ve got an exclusive set of pictures of Harry and Meghan in the park having a picnic with their little baby, not only will it sell to the British press for a pretty penny - 10, 20, 30 grand - it will also automatically sell in another 30 or 40 countries.

“So a really good set of pictures of them could make someone a quarter of a million quid.”

Mr Bamby, who appeared on Channel 4’s Confessions of the Paparazzi, said he knew two people who have been given 12-month contracts to follow the couple around Vancouver and take pictures of them.

He dubbed the Sussexes the “new Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, or the new Beckhams”.

“Every time they go out they will have a camera pointed at them,” he said.

Even if papers in Canada decide they can’t or won’t use the pictures, British and international media may be satisfied they can use them if they were taken in a public place.

“The newspapers wont give a flying s*** what they put on Instagram and all the rest of it,” Mr Bamby said.

Stock photo of the home page of the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, www.SussexRoyal.com, displayed on a laptop screen. Picture date: Tuesday January 21, 2020. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/EMPICS Entertainment.
Harry and Meghan want to communicate via their Sussex Royal website, and using Instagram to put out photos. (Isabel Infantes/EMPICS Entertainment)

“They want a picture of Meghan walking around the park with no make-up on and a baby hanging out of the baby carrier; or her walking with two dogs.

“They’re not bothered about her [Meghan’s] nice fancy pictures. They want pictures of Harry getting drunk; and Meghan out having dinner with her hair not done. That’s what they want, that’s all they’re interested in.

“And all the papers now will be fighting over the different candid pictures because they want to get the best set that no one else has got.”

That will drive a lucrative trade for photographers who can get the right pictures for the press, he believes.

“All bets are off” for the couple, Mr Bamby believes.

“It’s the worst mistake they could’ve ever made... basically they’ve just turned round and stuck two fingers up (at royalty) and I can assure you now they will have more paparazzi on them than ever before,” he said.

Although the Sussexes stated they wanted to support the Queen and the monarchy, Mr Bamby said it will not make a difference in the public’s mind.

“There’ll be a lot more resentment from people and they’ve made themselves 50 times more newsworthy,” he said.