Press standards watchdog rules in favour of Kate Middleton after she objected to online stories about herself and Prince George
The Duchess of Cambridge has had breach of privacy complaints upheld by the press standards watchdog after she objected to online stories about herself and Prince George.
Kate complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) after Express.co.uk and OK! magazines website published similar articles with a photograph in May, showing George sitting on a police motorbike at Kensington Palace.
In the picture, the Duchess smiles as the young prince reaches out for the vehicles controls, while they are watched by four officers, believed to be motorbike outriders.
The officers were on duty because a member of the royal family had been due to arrive by helicopter.
Ipsos complaints committee outlined the objections to the photograph in its ruling, which said: The complainants representatives said the photograph had been taken in circumstances in which the Duchess of Cambridge and her son had a reasonable expectation of privacy.
They were engaged in a private activity, the images had been taken while they were on private, protected land, where commercial photography is prohibited, and no permission for the images to be taken or published had been sought or obtained.
The committee said the news website and magazine denied that the images had shown the complainants in a private interaction.
The told the committee the officers were photographed while on duty and they considered that it was important for the public to see how young members of the royal family interacted with public servants, particularly when the officers had been commandeered for a three-year-olds entertainment.
The committee came to the same conclusion in separate rulings and upheld both complaints made by the duchess. The committee acknowledged that, as members of the royal family, the complainants are public figures; however, they were photographed standing within the grounds of their private home, in a position that was not easily visible to the photographer, Ipso said. They were not carrying out any official duties and they were unaware that they were being photographed.
It did not accept that any public interest had been served by the publication of the images, which simply showed Prince George playing on a police motorbike.