Here’s everything to know…
Sure, being a royal has its advantages – the fashion, the princes, the tiaras, the castles – but it definitely also has its drawbacks, from the end of privacy to the dreaded rumour mill.
No one knows this more than Kate Middleton, becoming a national treasure and therefore a paparazzi favourite since joining the royal fold.
Upon closer inspection however, Kate was fighting for her privacy long before Prince William popped the question.
In fact, news resurfaced this month when Prince William was forced to step in on Kate Middleton’s behalf to protect his then girlfriend’s privacy in the early days of their relationship.
During a Channel 5 documentary, The Tabloids and the Royals, former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie explained how Prince William once reportedly invoked EU law on his then girlfriend’s behalf.
‘If you’re William, you’d seen your mother basically pursued down the high street by photographers,’ Kelvin MacKenzie explained. ‘That would have left a scar on him, it was certainly having an effect on him.’
He continued: ‘He wants to protect her so he effectively invokes the law, there’s a European Court of Human Rights law saying everybody has a right to privacy. And he invoked that on Kate’s behalf.’
Royal commentator Camilla Tominey added: ‘What was interesting about how Kate was handled in those early days was the sense of trying, very slowly, to introduce her to public life. Unlike Princess Diana, who I think felt she was thrown into the deep end.
‘I think William wanted to avoid the mistakes of the past, that’s why it was a very, very slow drip-feeding of Kate to the press and to the public.’
Another documentary, Chasing the Royals, saw experts discuss Kate being hounded by paparazzi, with one incident on her 25th birthday back in 2007 particularly upsetting Prince William.
There were rumours that William would be proposing to Kate and it was thought that approximately 30 paparazzi were waiting outside her Chelsea flat to get a statement. Her car was reportedly blocked and camera lenses were within a foot of her face.
‘An angry Prince William issued a statement to the press to stop harassing his girlfriend,’ the documentary explained.
‘Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend,’ read the statement on behalf of William. ‘He wants, more than anything, for it to stop. Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual, be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion.’
The statement concluded: ‘The situation is proving unbearable for all those concerned.’
We’re hoping Kate is getting some privacy now.
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