In 2012, Prince William was reportedly “prepared to go to war” with the media after topless photographs of his wife, Princess Catherine, were taken without her knowledge while they were vacationing in France.
The couple, who had married the year before, were spending a brief break in the south of France before embarking on a nine-day tour of Southeast Asia to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
While staying at a private and secluded property, Catherine was sunbathing in bikini bottoms when a paparazzo, positioned at a distance with a long-lens camera, captured images of her without consent.
The photographs were later published by French magazine Closer as William and Catherine were carrying out official duties in Kuala Lumpur.
A moment of shock and anger
Royal author Russell Myers described the couple’s reaction in his book William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story. A palace source told him that when they were informed the images had been released, “it was as if time stood still” for the newlyweds.
“The prince was incandescent, instructing their staff to issue legal proceedings at once,” Myers wrote.
“For years he believed he had toed the line with the press, giving access at key moments of his life, but this was ‘an utter violation’.”
According to palace aides, William immediately reached out to both his father and the Queen to make clear his intention to issue a strongly worded public statement and begin legal action.
“A statement was prepared, castigating the publication for a ‘gross breach of privacy’,” Myers explained.
“Royal aides said William knew immediately he was prepared to take legal action ‘all the way’, suggesting the publication of the photographs was an attack on him and his wife.”
It was the first occasion on which William personally initiated legal proceedings against a media organization.
Catherine’s response and escalating fallout
Catherine was said to be “deeply upset over the incredible invasion of her privacy,” yet she remained “determined” to continue fulfilling her official responsibilities.
Sources told Myers that she maintained her composure throughout the overseas tour, despite the personal distress unfolding behind closed doors.
The situation intensified when the images were republished by the Italian magazine Chi and later by the Irish edition of the British Daily Star.
“Years before, William had gone against the grain when he warned the Fleet Street photographers that he would not tolerate a life of intrusion. This time, he was ready to go to war with the press,” Myers said.
In 2017, a French court ruled in favor of Prince William and Princess Catherine, determining that Closer’s publication of the photographs constituted a serious breach of privacy.
The magazine was ordered to pay €100,000 (approximately AUD$165,000) in damages.
The couple also pursued legal action against Chi, owned by the Mondadori Group, over its decision to print the same images.
A promise of protection
Myers later noted that William’s firm stance was rooted in his early determination to shield Catherine as she transitioned into royal life.
“[At the beginning of the relationship], she felt, ‘If I’m going to put myself forward for something like this, then I not only need the support of William, but also the support of the institution’,” Myers told Fox News Digital.
“And as I tell in the book, William was absolutely integral to that, to say to her, ‘I will support you’, and to have the mechanism of the Palace supporting her as well.”
