If you read that headline one way, you’d think Prince William was trying to flog naked pics of the future Queen of England. Not so.

Way back in 2012, mere months after William and Kate got hitched, a French magazine, Closer, published topless photos of Kate.

The photos were taken with telephoto lenses, and included some showing the prince rubbing cream into her.

Now, some five years later, the legal proceedings seem to be gaining momentum.

According to the Telegraph:

Prince William demanded 1.5 million Euros compensation over topless photographs of his wife Catherine after revealing how they had brought back distressing memories of the “harassment” suffered by his mother Diana.

In a statement read at the opening of a criminal case brought over pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless the Prince described the decision to publish the images as “particularly shocking”.

The couple are also demanding a “very significant fine” from France’s Closer magazine for publishing the photographs, taken during a three-day break in a chateau in Provence, southern France, in September 2012.

In a damning account of the impact of the photographs on his family, the Duke of Cambridge stated that the images were “all the more painful” given the harassment linked to the death of his mother.

In the written declaration, read in French by the couple’s lawyer Jean Veil, the Duke said: “In September 2012, my wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy.

“We know France and the French and we know that they are, in principle, respectful of private life, including that of their guests.

“The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy.”

Fair enough.

But this is a tricky and ongoing battle between public figures / celebrities and the press. The Kim Kardashian example presents a particular conundrum as to what is fair. For someone who makes money out of exposing their life, should they have recourse if some bits make the press without their editing?

A great ongoing debate and fantastic dinner-time chat.

But back to William and Kate. Here is the response from the other side:

On trial are Laurence Pieau, the editor of Closer in France, Ernesto Mauri, chief executive of the Mondadori group which owns the magazine, and Cyril Moreau and Dominique Jacovides, two Paris-based agency photographers suspected of having taken the topless photographs.

A week before Closer published the shots, another image of the couple from a different angle – and not topless – were printed in La Provence.

The paper’s publishing director at the time, Marc Auburtin, and photographer Valerie Suau were also on trial. However, only the three photographers appeared in court yesterday.

The other two photographers both denied any involvement, despite the fact that they rented out hotel room in the area and cellular data showed they were in the immediate vicinity between September 4 and 6, 2012, and had phoned the head of their agency just after the photos were taken.

Paul-Albert Iweins, representing Closer magazine, revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had demanded €1.5 million damages from his client, and a further €50,000 from La Provence.

He lambasted the sums as way above the French norm, saying they were the fruit of “an Anglo-Saxon reasoning of punitive damages”.

Mr Iweins pointed out that when Prince Albert of Monaco sued Paris Match for publishing a photo of “his illegitimate child”, it was ordered to pay €50,000 in damages.

He said that the trial was “hypocritical” as “the public and private lives of the royal couple are so closely linked as to be inseparable”.

Mr Iweins added: “Two billion people watched their wedding, and we even have photos of them arriving at the maternity, leaving and now Charlotte’s second birthday.

“It’s of public interest to know that the potential future heirs to the throne have a solid relationship and are getting on well. It’s all part of the royal business.”

The verdict is due on July 4.

Trust the French to bring up ‘Anglo-Saxon reasoning.’

We’ll see what happens come July, but it’s nice to see there’s no love lost between the French and the Brits!

Out of interest, here’s what Donald Trump had to say on the matter.

Nice one, Don!

Twat.

[source:telegraph]