Efforts by lawyers and the Press Complaints Commission to protect Prince William’s friend, Kate Middleton, from constant harassment by photographers appeared to be paying off today after a frenzy of activity yesterday.
Miss Middleton found herself facing massed ranks of photographers when she left her flat in Chelsea yesterday morning – her 25th birthday – with more than 20 photographers and five TV crews waiting for her to emerge.
But there were signs that the pressure might be lifting today, as the only journalists outside Miss Middleton’s flat were reported to be there to look for paparazzi photographers.
Another indication that the pressure might be easing was yesterday afternoon’s announcement by News International that its newspapers – The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun and the News of the World, and the give-away thelondonpaper – would no longer use paparazzi pictures of Miss Middleton.
News International, whose executive chairman Les Hinton is also chairman of the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice Committee, said it would still use pictures of Miss Middleton taken by their own photographers or picture agencies abiding by the PCC code.
The announcement came after Royal aides disclosed that Prince William wanted “more than anything” for photographers to stop harassing his long-term girlfriend.
Clarence House said second-in-line to the throne William wanted to see an end to the persistent attention Miss Middleton faced.
A spokesman for the Prince said: “We are pleased that News International has agreed to stop using the paparazzi pictures.
“What Prince William wants more than anything is for the paparazzi to stop harassing her.”
