Meghan Markle’s father is suing the infamous paparazzi agency that staged bizarre photos of him, alleging the pictures and ensuing media saga ruined his relationship with his daughter and son-in-law Prince Harry.
Thomas Markle Sr. on Tuesday sued Coleman-Rayner, a tawdry photo agency owned by British tabloid vets Mark Coleman and Jeff Rayner, alleging the photo agency violated a contract to take photographs of him before the royal wedding in 2018. The lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. Superior Court, seeks $1 million in damages.
Markle Sr., a former Hollywood lighting director, said Rayner and a fellow pap tracked him down to his home in Rosarito, Mexico, and convinced him to pose up for a series of candid-seeming snaps that would be published in the weeks leading up to the royal wedding.
Markle Sr. said paparazzi had already photographed him doing menial tasks like taking out the garbage, and he hoped the photos would improve his image in the tabloids. He alleged that he agreed in March 2018 to be photographed by Coleman-Rayner in exchange for approval on all photos prior to their syndication, a $1,500 cash payment, and a 30-percent share of future sales of the images, according to a copy of the lawsuit reviewed by The Daily Beast.
But the photo shoot didn’t exactly go as planned. Markle Sr. was photographed in hilariously choreographed situations, including lifting small weights, reading picture books about Great Britain and news about his daughter on an internet café…
