News about the Royal family often centers on the kind actions they take to help people; however, Prince William recently had to make a statement to remind the paparazzi not to mistake his kindness for weakness. The 34-year-old Duke of Cambridge made a statement to defend his royal wife's right to privacy during a trial in Nanterre, a suburb outside of Paris. Prince William tore into the people who made it possible for topless photos of Kate Middleton (i.e. Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge) to wind up in a tabloid magazine and a regional newspaper in France. Reportedly, the Royal family is seeking a whopping 1.5 million Euros ($1.6 million) as a penalty for the photographers and publishing executives who allegedly made the pictures public.
Three photographers, the owner of Closer Magazine, the tabloid's editor, and the editor of the regional newspaper La Provence are still in hot water over the photographs of Prince William and his wife vacationing at a private chateau in Provence in 2012. The photos include shots of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless while her husband applies sunblock to her skin, so says The Daily Mail. French law stipulates strict rules about privacy, but some experts question whether the laws will be enough to enforce the hefty fine the Royal family wants. But then the potential future king of England made his point extra clear by bringing up the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in his statement, saying,
The facts in this case are particularly painful as they remind us of the harassment which caused the death of my mother, Diana Princess of Wales.
Wow, he went there. Prince William does want 1.5 million Euros, so bringing up the death of his mom could help to swing the case in his favor. Then again, members of the royal family do not often go on record in these kinds of trials, so the weight of his statement would have been substantial without playing the Princess Diana card. So, it seems he was simply making a genuine statement about a scary similarity he noticed.
Closer Magazine is taking a different stance. The defense lawyers for the magazine say Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge want to make money from the case. The lawyers allege the Royal family is using its celebrity status to receive "punitive Anglo-Saxon damages." (In France, the term "Anglo-Saxon" refers to anyone from Britain or the United States.) The fact Prince William has been working as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance for and donating his salary to charity could suggest making money is not necessarily the first thing on his mind. Nevertheless, the lawyers maintain people in France often have pictures taken while in sunbathing situations similar to the one in the photographs.
People in France may have different customs. Still, the fact the Royals were in a private location could support their case.
We will keep you posted on the results of the ordeal. Hopefully, it resolves quickly so we can get back to the Royal family's happy news, such as Pippa Middleton's wedding.
