LONDON – Pop star Madonna yesterday accepted substantial undisclosed damages for privacy and infringement of copyright over the Mail on Sunday's publication of "purloined" photos of her wedding in 2000 to Guy Ritchie.
The singer (51), who has just completed her Sticky & Sweetworld tour, was not at London's High Court for the settlement of her action against Associated Newspapers.
Her solicitor, John Kelly, told Mr Justice Peter Smith that she would be donating the damages to her Raising Malawi charity.
Mr Kelly said that the star had gone to great pains to ensure that the December 2000 wedding was kept private.
But in 2003, an interior designer who was working on the pop star’s home in Beverly Hills surreptitiously copied at least 27 photos from the couple’s wedding album.
They were offered for sale to the Mail on Sundayin June 2008.
Mr Kelly said that the newspaper did not buy them at that time but waited to buy them until October 2008, when Madonna had announced that she was divorcing and there was huge media interest about her marriage.
Just three days after she had announced her divorce, and with no warning to the singer, it published 10 of the photos.
Associated Newspapers’ solicitor, Niri Shan, said that it accepted that it was wrong to act in this manner and offered its sincere apologies to Madonna and the singer’s family for invading her privacy and infringing her copyright. – (PA)