Cast your mind back to 2012 when France's Closer magazine published photographs of Kate Middleton during her holiday with Prince William in a chateau in Provence, southern France.
The photos were taken a little more than a year into their marriage, and showed a then-30-year-old Kate sunbathing topless. They were subsequently published by the publication, and local newspaper La Provence, alongside an article about the couple under the headline: 'Oh my God!'
Well, now the time has come for the royal family to seek justice.
According to the Telegraph, Prince William has demanded a £1.3 million compensation over the topless photographs of his wife, after revealing the ordeal reminded him of the 'harassment' suffered by his mother, Princess Diana.
In a statement read at the opening of a criminal case to a court in Nanterre, west of Paris, earlier this week regarding the photos of his 35-year-old wife, the Prince described the decision to publish the images as 'particularly shocking'.
In the written declaration, read in French by the couple's lawyer Jean Veil, the father-of-two 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,' she added.
The couple are reportedly seeking damages and a 'very significant fine' from the French publication, with the Duke of Cambridge revealing the images were 'all the more painful' given the intrusion of privacy and harassment that linked to the death of his mother.
In August 1997, Princess Diana died in a car in a Paris underpass while being pursued by photographers, after she had left the Ritz Hotel with her then boyfriend Dodi Fayed.
Her death prompted the royal family to question their close relationship with the media and, ten years later, led the editors of The Sun, Daily Mirror and News of the World to admit they created an atmosphere in which the paparazzi – who were chasing Diana when her car crashed – were out of control.
Phil Hall, who was an editor of the News of the World told the Telegraph: 'If the paparazzi hadn't been following her the car wouldn't have been speeding and, you know, the accident may never have happened.'
Everyone, be it a celebrity or monarch, is entitled to their privacy. It's about time Kate Middleton and Prince William receive compensation for this terrible ordeal.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
