William and Kate Won Their Lawsuit Against Paris Match
The Prince and Princess of Wales have scored another win in their long-standing battle for privacy. On Thursday, French magazine Paris Match announced that a judge had ruled against them in a lawsuit William and Kate filed in April. The suit centered on a series of long-lens photos Paris Match published earlier this year that showed William, Kate, and their children — 12-year-old Prince George, 10-year-old Princess Charlotte, and 7-year-old Prince Louis — on vacation in the Alps.
Last month, a French court ruled that the magazine had infringed on the family’s privacy by publishing photos of them and details of their vacation at the ski-lodge resort Courchevel in versions of the issue that ran both in print and online. Per the New York Times, the couple initially sought monetary compensation for the images, which they called “grossly intrusive” in a statement to People. But according to Kensington Palace, home to the couple’s offices, their lawyer told a French judge that they would abandon the request if Paris Match published a judicial notice. That notice was published Thursday in the magazine’s current issue, acknowledging that the photos “had infringed the respect due to their private life and the rights The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have on their image.”
“The ruling affirms that, notwithstanding their public duties as members of the Royal Family, Their Royal Highnesses and their children are entitled to respect for their private lives and family time, without unlawful interference and intrusion,” a spokesperson told People on behalf of the couple. “The Prince and Princess of Wales are committed to protecting their private family time and ensuring that their children can grow up without undue scrutiny and interference. They will not hesitate to take such action as is necessary to enforce those boundaries.”
Thursday’s win is the latest in a long line of legal clashes between the royals and the French media. In 2017, Kate was awarded roughly $119,000 in damages after a separate French magazine published long-lens photos of her tanning topless while on vacation in 2012. At the time, the couple’s spokesperson said that the incident was “all the more upsetting” because it was “reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.” Now, with the lawsuit behind them, the princess can get back to settling into post-cancer remission, which hopefully includes vacationing with her family in peace.
Related