Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton will file Monday in France acriminal complaint against the author of the Duchess photos topless, published Friday in the French magazine Closer.
The complaint for "violation of privacy" of the couple adds to civil proceedings already initiated against Closer. According to a judicial source quoted by the Associated Press, the royal couple will not require entering the title, but the ban on reprinting the magazine, the prohibition on selling the offending photos and their use of digital publications.
The photographs were taken by telephoto while vacationing couple of Provence on the terrace of a guest house in Luberon.
An Irish newspaper, the Irish Daily Star, Saturday reproduced some photos, after which the twwo owners of the newspaper group, Independent News and Media (Ireland) and Northern and Shell (UK) offered their apologies.
No other newspaper in the UK has published the photos, or even the Sun, the only tabloid has published photos of Prince Harry naked at a party in Las Vegas.
An Italian magazine, Chi, also is preparing to broadcast the pictures Monday.
The managing editor of Closer, Laurence Pieau, argued that "these photos have nothing shocking, they show a young woman sunbathing topless, as we see millions on the beaches."
For its part, the editor of the Irish newspaper, Mike O'Kane, said on the airwaves of the public broadcaster BBC that if the dissemination of photographs seems to be a problem in Britain, because the duchess is the future queen " Ireland, Kate Middleton is just a celebrity among many others. "
French the specialist media law
"French law protects the privacy of an almost absolute," says the specialist media law, lawyer Richard Malka. "She is one of the most protective of privacy and image rights. Any photo of a person in a private setting may be published with his/her consent and the conviction is almost automatic, "he says.
Despite the severity of the law on privacy, the consequences are rather slim. Technically, the Penal Code provides one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($ 57,000). But "the amount of damages awarded is generally quite low and publications include these amounts in their costs structures," says the lawyer Isabelle Wekstein.
The photographs were taken by telephoto while vacationing couple of Provence on the terrace of a guest house in Luberon.
An Irish newspaper, the Irish Daily Star, Saturday reproduced some photos, after which the twwo owners of the newspaper group, Independent News and Media (Ireland) and Northern and Shell (UK) offered their apologies.
No other newspaper in the UK has published the photos, or even the Sun, the only tabloid has published photos of Prince Harry naked at a party in Las Vegas.
An Italian magazine, Chi, also is preparing to broadcast the pictures Monday.
The managing editor of Closer, Laurence Pieau, argued that "these photos have nothing shocking, they show a young woman sunbathing topless, as we see millions on the beaches."
For its part, the editor of the Irish newspaper, Mike O'Kane, said on the airwaves of the public broadcaster BBC that if the dissemination of photographs seems to be a problem in Britain, because the duchess is the future queen " Ireland, Kate Middleton is just a celebrity among many others. "
French the specialist media law
"French law protects the privacy of an almost absolute," says the specialist media law, lawyer Richard Malka. "She is one of the most protective of privacy and image rights. Any photo of a person in a private setting may be published with his/her consent and the conviction is almost automatic, "he says.
Despite the severity of the law on privacy, the consequences are rather slim. Technically, the Penal Code provides one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($ 57,000). But "the amount of damages awarded is generally quite low and publications include these amounts in their costs structures," says the lawyer Isabelle Wekstein.
