French court to rule on Duchess of Cambridge photos case

A French court is due to rule on whether three photographers and three newspaper executives invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Cambridge by taking and publishing topless photos of her that outraged the British royal family.
A judgment is expected over the publication of topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge almost five years ago. Picture: PAA judgment is expected over the publication of topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge almost five years ago. Picture: PA
A judgment is expected over the publication of topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge almost five years ago. Picture: PA

A prosecutor at a Paris suburb court has asked for high fines, and lawyers for the Duchess of Cambridge and her husband, Prince William, are seeking heavy damages.

The couple, who aren’t expected to attend the verdict hearing on Tuesday, had filed a complaint after the photos were published in a French gossip magazine and a regional newspaper in 2012, the year after their wedding.

The pictures of Kate were taken with telephoto lenses while she and her husband apparently were sunbathing on a patio at a private estate in France’s southern Provence region.