Paparazzi Resort to Using Drones to Capture Celebrities, Leading British Royalty to Call Police

The paparazzi have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, with celebrities in lockdown leading to a 95 percent drop in output. It seems paparazzi are resorting to even more invasive methods by flying drones very low over celebrity residences.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently staying at Tyler Perry's mansion in Los Angeles and have reported multiple drone encounters to the LAPD, which friends say have been nearly constant, resulting in five separate reports on May 9, 19, 20, 21, and 25. Incidents include a drone flying over the property when the couple was playing with their baby, Archie, and other encounters in which drones were as low as just 20 feet over the estate. Unsurprisingly, the couple says they have been hounded by the paparazzi whenever they have left the property, but the drones represent an even bigger invasion of privacy. A friend of the couple says they have experienced incidents in which Los Angeles paparazzi have chased them in cars and nearly caused traffic accidents due to their aggressive driving, and this, coupled with the drone encounters leaves them simply wanting to ensure the safety of their family. It is not clear at this time what sort of legal action might be taken to stop the incidents. 

Lead image by Mark Jones, used under Creative Commons.