Two people have been charged for publishing intimate pictures of Kate Middleton and Prince William during a private holiday in France last year. Sources told the AFP news agency that the head of the Mondadori Group, publisher of France's Closer magazine, and a photographer are facing charges over the publication of the images.Ernesto Mauri, the chief executive of Mondadori, and the photographer have both been charged for "invasion of privacy".
Since the pictures emerged last September, William and Kate have been pursing the case behind closed doors and are determined to bring all responsible parties to justice.
The royal couple, who are expecting their first baby in July, learned that French magazine Closer planned to publish revealing photos of the pair at a chateau belonging to the Queen's nephew Viscount Linley during their Jubilee tour of the South Seas. At the time they described the images – which showed Kate taking off her bikini top by the swimming pool while in conversation with her husband – as a "brutal display" of their private lives.
Royal aides swiftly released a strongly worded statement on behalf of their "furious" employers. "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," the palace missive said.
"Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them." A French court subsequently ruled in favour of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after they took legal action over the invasion of their privacy. Closer magazine was ordered to stop distribution or syndication of the photos in France or face a €10,000 fine for every breach of the injunction.
