Prince William Calls Kate Topless Photo Scandal 'Painful' Reminder of Princess Diana's Death, Asks for $1.9 Million in Damages
Prince William Calls Kate Topless Photo Scandal 'Painful' Reminder of Princess Diana's Death, Asks for $1.9 Million in Damages, Prince William called the 2012 publication of topless photos of his wife Princess Kate "shocking" in a prepared statement read in the trial against six individuals involved with the images on Monday, reported the BBC.
William said in the statement - read by his lawyer Jean Veil - that the long-lens photographs were "all the more painful" because of "the harassment" that led to his own mother Princess Diana's death in a 1997 car crash.
"The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy," the statement said, according to the BBC.
William and Kate were vacationing in Provence, France, when the images were taken. They were printed in French magazine Closer, while photos of Kate in a bikini were published by newspaper La Provence.
Among those on trial are Closer's editor, and two agency photographers accused of taking the images.
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| Prince William Calls Kate Topless Photo Scandal 'Painful' Reminder of Princess Diana's Death, Asks for $1.9 Million in Damages |
At the time, the St. James's Palace spokesperson called the invasion of the couple's privacy "grotesque," adding, "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."
On Monday, William said in his statement, "My wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy."
William and Kate's attorney called for the couple to receive "very large damages" - $1.9 million, according to the Telegraph. He also asked for a "very significant fine" to be imposed.
