UK newspapers agreed to remove pictures of the Middleton family. (Credit: BBC, screenshot)
Three newspapers took down photos of Kate Middleton, her sister Pippa and their brother James following rulings by the Press Complaints Commission, the BBC reported. The newspapers are the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mirror.
The photos were taken and published in 2006 of the Middleton family “swimming, diving and relaxing on and around a yacht off Ibiza,” according to the BBC.
The images were re-published this year after Kate Middleton married Prince William, according to the AFP. The couple met in 2001, according to a 2010 BBC story.
The family had filed complaints in May 2011 with UK print regulatory body the Press Complaints Commission. They claimed that the pictures invaded their privacy.
According to the BBC, the family claimed it expected “a reasonable expectation of privacy” in 2006 and that the family’s boat was “followed” by the photographer.
The newspapers defended publication by stating that “the boat had not been followed, arguing that the Middletons did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy at the location where the boat was” and noting that the photos have circulated online “without complaint” for years. However, the newspapers still removed the photos, despite their defenses.
The BBC noted that the family has an outstanding complaint filed with the PCC over News of the World’s publication of photos of the family, including a photo of Pippa Middleton “removing her bikini top.” According to the BBC, the pictures are no longer on News of the World’s website.
Pippa, James and Carole Middleton filed the complaints against the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Pippa Middleton filed a separate complaint against the Daily Mirror.
Through the PCC, Pippa Middleton also had the UK Sun and the UK Telegraph remove photos of her from its website back in June. Both newspapers denied harassment charges, but still apologized to Middleton, iMediaEthics wrote at the time.
iMediaEthics has written to the Mail and the Mirror asking why the newspapers agreed to remove the images. We’ll update with any response.
