Pippa Middleton receives unwanted attention from paparazzi
Pippa Middleton won widespread praise for her Alexander McQueen dress at the royal wedding, but it's what she wore before the wedding that has the paparazzi clamoring for more and the royal family asking for legal intervention.
There's a brewing legal battle over publication of 5-year-old photographs of bridesmaid
Pippa Middleton sunbathing topless, and anger about gruesome photographs of the late
Princess Diana in the moments after her 1997 car crash appearing in a documentary about her death.
The publication of the Pippa pictures — showing the 27-year-old on a powerboat with older sister Kate (in a revealing bikini) and William (in a red and white bathing suit) — prompted the Middleton family to file a formal petition to
Britain's independent
Press Complaints Commission.
IN PICTURES: Kate Middleton's dresses
That complaint is seen as the first salvo in what is expected to be a conflict between the monarchy and the press as both sides try to establish boundaries in a new royal era defined by William and Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their determination to live a normal life.
The prince and his bride jetted off this week to a secret honeymoon spot that royal watchers believe was chosen specifically to keep them out of the lenses of the paparazzi.
"That and security would have been of primary importance," said
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "We've known for a long time William would not stand for any nonsense regarding his new wife and her family."
Many Britons — mindful of how Princess Diana was tracked by the paparazzi in the moments leading to her fatal car crash — want the new royal couple, and the rest of the Middleton clan, to be able to move about without facing a constant barrage of flashing cameras.
IN PICTURES: Princess Diana's death
"I think they should be left alone to be honest, after what happened to Lady Diana," said Marla Quinn, a 43 year-old receptionist from
Surrey.
The nation has been astir with news that "death photos" of Diana moments after her high-speed crash in a
Paris tunnel will be shown in a new film about her death, "Unlawful Killing," premiering at the
Cannes Film Festival
Other pictures of Pippa Middleton have also received wide exposure on the Internet and in various publications, including one of her dancing suggestively in a lavender bra and a flimsy white skirt with an unidentified man wearing boxer shorts. Sensitive pictures of younger brother
James Middleton have also circulated on the Internet.
The independent press commission will determine whether the newspapers have violated the Middletons' privacy and whether there are any "public right to know" issues that might justify publication of the photos.
While freedom of speech is protected in the
United States by the
First Amendment, European law protects privacy as well as free expression, often leaving it to judges to balance the two competing concerns.
A key
European Court of Human Rights judgment in 2004 bolstered privacy protection by ruling that three German magazines infringed on
Princess Caroline of Monaco's privacy by publishing photos of her and her children at a
Monaco beach club.
The recent British newspaper coverage, including front-page photos of Pippa Middleton in a bikini, reflects her status as a surprise star of the royal wedding.
Her appearance in a figure-flattering
Alexander McQueen gown at the wedding has sparked a flurry of interest, including the establishment of a Pippa Middleton appreciation page on
Facebook.
Experts believe her newfound fame offers a raft of commercial opportunities — but could be undone if more embarrassing photos surface.
Katrina Kutchinsky,
bjd shoes, managing director of
KK Communications, which represents luxury restaurants and bars, said Pippa Middleton is in high demand on the
London nightlife scene.
"She's definitely the hot ticket at the moment, my venues are trying to reach her, but she's very well protected," Kutchinsky said. "Everyone is talking about her."