Prince William and Kate Middleton News: French Court Rules in Favor of Royal Couple in Unauthorized Topless Photos Case
After years of waiting, a French court has finally released its verdict in favor of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
According to reports, a court in a Paris suburb has ruled that three photographers and three newspaper executives are guilty of invading Middleton's privacy as they took and published unauthorized topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge in 2012.
While the court's ruling was a victory for the royal couple's side, the ordered amount to cover the damages of the defendants' action was significantly lower than what Middleton and William demanded. Instead of the amount specified by the couple, $1.8 million (1.5 million euros), the court only mandated the accused to pay a collective amount of $59,500 to Middleton and the same amount for her husband.
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Apart from collectively paying for the total of $119,000 for Middleton and William, the two executives of the French gossip magazine Closer were also mandated to pay a maximum of $53,500 fine for the offense. This prompted the publication's lawyer, Paul-Albert Iweins, to describe the ruling as "exaggerated."
Middleton's topless photos were taken with telephoto lenses while she and William were sunbathing on a patio at a private estate in France's Southern Provence region in 2012, a year after the two tied the knot.
Meanwhile, although the royal couple was not present at the time of the reading of the verdict, it has been learned that they welcome the ruling of the French court. According to a statement released by Kensington Palace, the couple is happy that the court ruled in their favor.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased that the court has found in their favor and the matter is now closed. This incident was a serious breach of privacy, and Their Royal Highnesses felt it essential to pursue all legal remedies. They wished to make the point strongly that this kind of unjustified intrusion should not happen," goes the official statement released by the royal couple's camp.
