Prince Harry awarded damages for pictures which 'undermined his safety', writes Chris Ship

Prince Harry has been awarded a substantial sum in damages after pictures were taken of his private home in Oxfordshire.

He has also received an apology from the paparazzi agency which Harry 'acknowledges and welcomes'.

But he no longer feels able to live at the property.

The Duke of Sussex instructed his lawyers to act after the picture agency Splash hired a helicopter to take photographs of the house which Harry and Meghan were renting in Oxfordshire.

The helicopter flew over the property at low altitude which allowed the Splash photographer to take pictures directly into the bedroom of the house as well as the living and dining areas.

It happened in January before the birth of the Duke and Duchess' son Archie.

Lawyers for the Royal Family from the firm Harbottle and Lewis successfully argued in court that the pictures were 'taken for commercial gain' and they breached 'the Duke's right to privacy under Article 8' of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The images were taken before the birth of Archie. Credit: PA

The pictures of Harry and Meghan's home appeared in The Times newspaper and in other online publications two days later.

Harry's solicitors have since attempted to remove the photographs from those websites.

But it was made clear in the statement to the court that Prince Harry and Meghan are no longer able to live at the property - which they rented privately - because the publication of the pictures 'seriously undermined the safety and security of the Duke and the home'.

According to Harry's lawyers, Splash has agreed to stop any further sales of the images and will not attempt to take aerial pictures of the Duke and Duchess' home which would infringe his privacy.

ITV News understands that the damages and legal costs awarded to Harry will be donated to charity.