Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Paparazzi Incident Reveals the 'Complicated Dynamics' of Celebrities & Photographers

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While details are still emerging about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s paparazzi incident last week in New York City, there’s no denying that celebrities still struggle with throngs of photographers often invading their privacy. The paparazzi themselves don’t even disagree with that assessment since the economic structure of how they get paid from photo agencies often creates the frenzy that Sussexes experienced.

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Part of the problem, according to The New York Times, is that the main hub for celebrity photos, Getty Images, only “earns them royalties of only a few dollars” and going independent is too time-consuming for photographers who need to spend their time out in the field. The most “lucrative” snapshots involved what the outlet called celebrity “real-life situations,” like going out to dinner or holding hands with their significant other, but noted “the days of $100,000 jackpots are largely over.” These “complicated dynamics” are making the situation worse, so the Sussexes might have to get used to the fact that everyone wants their photo.

With the onslaught of royal coverage over the last five months from Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, the royal family feud, and King Charles III’s coronation, he and Meghan are hot commodities in the paparazzi world. They don’t make many public appearances, so any time they have a public event, the photographers want their money shot. But the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards, which was honoring the Duchess of Sussex, only allowed one official photographer for the evening — that’s what led to the mess outside the venue when the couple left the event.

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Buy: ‘Spare’ $19.99

While the car chase timeline is being argued about from both sides, it is clear Harry and Meghan were being followed to their friend’s home on the Upper East Side. The dynamic duo is probably going to have to go back to the drawing board and reconfigure their security plans since there were some misses by their team here — and the paparazzi seems unrelenting in their coverage of Harry and Meghan. Everyone is trying to get their shot, but it’s coming at the expense of celebrities’ well-being.

Before you go, click here to find out who fights to keep paparazzi away from their partners and kids

Launch Gallery: The All-Time Most Romantic Photos of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

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