Prince William has won a lawsuit against Paris Match magazine. The heir to the British crown is keen to keep his private life private
Prince William with his wife Princess Kate during a visit to a school in Southport on September 23 PHOTO: Phil Noble-WPA Pool / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, have won a breach of privacy lawsuit filed against the French magazine Paris Match for publishing paparazzi photos of them and their children during a private vacation, according to a notice published in the magazine on Thursday, reports Reuters, taken by Agerpres.
William, the eldest son of King Charles III and heir to the throne, is known for fiercely protecting his family's privacy when they are not attending official engagements.
It is the second time that the royal couple has won a lawsuit filed against a French magazine, after Closer magazine published topless photos of Kate in 2012.
The action against Paris Match, owned by the French luxury group LVMH, was initiated in April, a few days after the magazine had published photos of the family in the Alps.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales are determined to protect their family time and ensure that their children can grow up without undue surveillance and interference,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.
The couple wants their three children – Princes George (12 years old) and Louis (7 years old) and Princess Charlotte (10 years old) – to have as normal a childhood as possible.
William (43 years old) did not hide his aversion to the press after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car accident in Paris in 1997. The car in which the princess was traveling at high speed, trying to escape the paparazzi who were following her.
He and Kate were also victims of wiretapping, according to lawsuits filed by British newspapers. William reached a private settlement with News Group Newspapers, a company owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Paris Match did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, the magazine published the judicial notice on Thursday, in which it admits that it violated due respect for the family's private life and its rights over its own image.
The lawyers of the prince and princess declared before the court that they preferred the publication of the notice instead of compensation.
