Prince and Princess of Wales win privacy ruling over Paris Match

The Prince and Princess of Wales have won a privacy ruling in a French court after suing the publisher of Paris Match over photographs and an accompanying article that showed the couple and their three young children on a private family holiday in the Alps in April. The court found that the magazine had infringed the family’s privacy and ordered the publication to acknowledge the breach, to pay the couple’s legal costs in France, and to face a penalty of €10,000 for each issue that fails to publish the required notice.

The images at the center of the dispute were taken with long-lens cameras and depicted Prince William and Kate with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, during a skiing break. The couple initially sought compensation but told the court they preferred the publication of a judicial notice formally recognizing the violation. The French court obliged and attached the per-issue fine as an enforcement measure until the notice appears.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the proceedings affirmed that, notwithstanding their public roles, the Prince and Princess and their children are entitled to respect for their private lives and family...