Prince Harry received "substantial damages" from a paparazzi agency that took aerial photos of the country home he shared with Meghan Markle before they moved to Windsor.

A short statement issued Thursday by Buckingham Palace said the prince "acknowledges and welcomes the formal apology from Splash News and Picture Agency as referenced in the Statement in Open Court today."

The photos were taken in January from a helicopter that flew close to their home in Oxfordshire. The images ran in online publications including the The Times of London.  The pictures captured the dining and living areas of the home, as well as the bedroom, the court was told Thursday.

Splash said it had "always recognized that this situation represents an error of judgment and we have taken steps to ensure it will not be repeated. We apologize to the duke and duchess for the distress we have caused." 

Harry's lawyers told the court the private home "had been chosen by the Duke for himself and his wife given the high level of privacy it afforded given its position in a secluded area surrounded by private farmland away from any areas to which photographers have access."

The photos "very seriously undermined the safety of the Duke and the home to the extent that they are no longer able to live at the property," the attorneys said.

The unspecified damages will go to charity.

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