The Prince and Princess of Wales have successfully sued the publisher of Paris Match magazine in France, following the publication of long-lens paparazzi photographs of a private family skiing holiday earlier this year. The article included images of the couple's three young children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, enjoying time on the slopes in the Alps during the Easter break.
A French Court has ruled there was an infringement of the family's privacy. It has instructed the publication to publish a judicial notice acknowledging the breach, with a penalty of €10,000 per issue until compliance and has ordered Paris Match to pay for Prince William and Kate's legal costs in France. The couple were represented in France by Alain Toucas-Massillon, appointed through their UK lawyers, Mishcon de Reya.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: "Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, have been successful in legal proceedings brought in France against the owner of Paris Match, which published a grossly intrusive article and long-lens paparazzi photographs of their private family holiday in the Alps in April.
"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.
© Chris Jackson/Getty Images"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."
Talking about the significance of William and Kate's legal victory, HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash says: "This really underlines how seriously William and Kate take their family's privacy and their absolute determination to protect it, both in the UK and abroad. William grew up in the spotlight and saw how his parents struggled with media intrusion and is adamant the same won't happen to his own family."
© WireImageIt comes after the Prince of Wales appeared to open up about the impact of press intrusion into his life as he spoke with Eugene Levy on The Reluctant Traveler, saying: "I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people's lives for the better. That is caveated with, I hope we don't go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up with - and I'll do everything I can to make sure we don't regress in that situation."
He added: "Growing up I saw that with my parents And if you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family. And so, I take a very strong line about where I think that line is and those who overstep it, you know I'll fight against."
William and Kate's previous legal cases
This isn't the first time William and Kate have taken legal action. In 2012, the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched legal proceedings against French magazine Closer to stop it from reprinting topless photographs of Kate taken while the couple were on a private holiday at a secluded family villa in Provence. A Paris court awarded William and Kate more than 100,000 euros (approximately £91,700) in damages in 2017.
© GettyA Clarence House spokesperson at the time said the "incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the Duke and Duchess for being so. Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house".
In 2023, news that the Prince of Wales had allegedly reached a settlement with publisher News Group Newspapers over claims of phone hacking were revealed in court documents as his brother, Prince Harry, sued the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles. But Kensington Palace declined to comment at the time.
