Prince William has called for € 1.5 million compensation over private photographs of his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, which were taken without consent and published in France’s Closer magazine back in 2012. In a statement, read by the couple’s lawyer, Jean Viel, at a court in Naterre, France on Tuesday, William said that the harassment "reminded us of the harassment that led to the death of my mother, Diana Princess of Wales". The pictures, taken by a long-lens camera, were printed on the front and inside pages of the magazine alongside an article titled "Oh my God!"
Prince William likened the harassment to that of his late mother Princess Diana
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At the time, the royal couple were enjoying a holiday in a private chateau in Provence, France, owned by the Queen’s nephew, Viscount Linley. The full statement, told to a court of six media representatives at the trial, read: "In September 2012, 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. We know France and the French and we know that they are, in principle, respectful of private life, including that of their guests.
The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy."
The pictures included a photograph of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless, and one of William rubbing in her suncream.