Prince William, son of Prince
Charles and Princess Diana, has
complained of being “aggressively”
pursued by paparazzi.
This has come days after the start of
the inquest in London into the death
of Princess Diana in a crash in a
Parish subway 10 years ago while being
followed by photographers.
Pictures of Prince William, the second
in line to the British Throne, and his
girlfriend Kate Middleton were
published in some newspapers on
October 5,
2007, after they left the Boujis
nightclub in South Kensington, London,
together in the early hours of the
morning.
Clarence House said Prince William had
been concerned by the “threatening
behavior” of photographers who pursued
the pair on motorcycles and in cars.
Paddy Harverson, spokesman for
Clarence House, said the timing was
“incomprehensible,” given the
continuing inquest into the death of
Prince William’s mother and Dodi Al
Fayed in 1997.
Harverson elaborated: “Prince William
was concerned by the threatening
behaviour of the paparazzi in London.
Having already been photographed
leaving the nightclub, he and Kate
Middleton were then pursued in his car
by photographers on motorcycles, in
vehicles, and on foot. The aggressive
pursuit was potentially dangerous and
worrying for them. It seems
incomprehensible, particularly at this
time, that this behavior is still
going on.”
He said the matter has been raised
with the Press Complaints Commission.
In a statement, the Press Complaints
Commission said that while freelance
photographers are not directly
regulated by the organization, editors
must not publish photographs which are
taken through harassment. “It can, of
course, be difficult for editors to
establish the exact circumstances in
which a photograph is taken,” said the
Press Complaints Commission. “But it
is of the utmost importance not to use
photographs which have been taken in a
manner that may have compromised the
safety of individuals, which may
include pursuit in vehicles.”
The Daily Mail was reported to have
removed a paparazzi photograph from
its front page, substituting a
photograph of the couple watching
rugby.
Speculation surrounding the on-off
relationship of Prince William and
Kate Middleton, who could one day be
queen, has sparked the same media
furor which haunted the young Diana
Spencer during her engagement to
Prince Charles.
Prince William and Kate Middleton,
both 27, who met at St Andrews
University, ended their four-year
relationship in April 2007 following
increasing pressure from the media.
Kate Middleton had even contacted the
Press Complaints Commission over
alleged harassment after the Daily
Mirror published a picture of her
walking to work.
In the summer of 2007, rumors
circulated that the pair had revived
their relationship after they were
spotted at the same public events.
Kate was in
the royal box for the concert held in
memory of Princess Diana at Wembley
Stadium in July 2007.
During the inquest into the tragic
death of Princess Diana, which began
on October 2, 2007, the jury has heard
how photographers pursued Diana’s
Mercedes in cars and on motorbikes
before the fatal crash in Pont de
l’Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31,
1997.
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