The relationship between the media and the British royal family has taken a fresh turn for the worst in recent days. As soon as we thought we moved on from The Sun and Prince Harry fiasco a few weeks ago, there has barely been reason to suggest the media would stop there. Closer Magazine France has published photos of Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge in the nude. These photos took place at a private resort in France this month where she and her husband, Prince William vacated before they jetted off to the Far East, notably Malaysia, a country which 61 percent of its citizens follow Islam - where the royal couple discovered the publication's actions. The magazine couldn't think of a better, yet inconvenient timing to publish these photos.
The royal family were warned. Closer Magazine editor Laurence Pieau tweeted in French "We can say that after tomorrow's Closer, Harry will feel less alone...", the evening before the recent edition was ready to be shown to the public. Pieau defends her decision to publish the photos by saying the photos were not "degrading" and the images were "like the millions of women you see on beaches". This is a typical attitude you would find in a pervy publication. So there was no surprise when I discovered the magazine was formed by previous Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and currently managed by his daughter, Marina.
This story is a complete contrast to Prince Harry and The Sun newspaper. Whereas the world already knew of the third-heir-to-the-throne antics in Las Vegas, none of us were made aware of Kate Middleton's images - even she had no idea. Prince William quickly came to the scene and spoke of his unhappiness and therefore decided to take legal action against Closer Magazine meaning the publication could pay millions to the royal couple. Consequently, the magazine could face further charges by the French media authorities as it claims the publication breached privacy regulations so its pages in the future could be, pardon the pun, naked. British regulators take note, France take action, not Leveson.
Furthermore, Italian magazine, Chi has published the same images followed by Irish Daily Star newspaper, the latter in particular, sparking anger by the British public. Some campaigned to boycott the newspaper altogether. Its co-owner and media mogul Richard Desmond however is going a step further and says he is pondering to close down the newspaper. It's interesting how people are learning from Rupert Murdoch's mistakes. The British media insist they will not be publishing such images but now wouldn't be able to as it has been announced the royal couple have banned further publishing of the images after eventually filing for an injunction.
Regardless, seeing naked images of anyone in the media is indecent. I don't want to use words like "grotesque" which some have used to describe Closer Magazine's decision but it would be useful to think about the lessons the royal family can learn from this experience. Besides, it's no coincidence that two royal family members would be seen like this, especially when they have been portrayed in the past as humble and popular individuals. And in addition, it will add to their insecurities that they can't do anything without looking over their shoulder constantly.
Since her marriage to Prince William in 2011, a lot of people have been comparing Kate to Diana, Princess of Wales. Both hers and Diana's wedding with Prince Charles in 1981 were like-for-like, watched by millions and are still major talking points to this day. Will Kate Middleton have children, a divorce and then pass away in a horrific car crash, let's hope not.
However, the main difference between Kate and Diana is that the former is not alone. When Diana was receiving similar and unwanted coverage, she was a divorcee and had little support from the royal family - her sons William and Harry were too young at the time to notice but now, William supports Kate unconditionally and has gained the love of the royal family. Will that be enough? It will do for now but she, and the rest of the immediate relatives of Queen Elizabeth II have to remain vigilant of the unpredictable media. Any photo or conversation nowadays is either in print or online so they must be careful.
Kate Middleton means well and I can see her benefiting society through charity work and being a role model but in order to stop worrying herself over the media, she needs to control the way they exploit her. She was bound to attract trouble and since it's come now rather than later, she needs to get back on her feet and start enjoying her time in the spotlight - she has that injunction to prevent these private resort photos from going anywhere else, now she needs to go through other aspects of the media and say no to any coverage she will feel uncomfortable about.
The main issue here is that we are getting increasingly connected to Kate and I'm sure she enjoys some media attention but the 21st Century is different to the 1980s/1990s when the paparazzi era was starting to rise. Now they are well-known and developed a reputation, we should learn to keep them distant from our private lives. They would do anything to get a story and Kate Middleton is bound to be an easy target. I really don't want her to fall apart because of the media.
The royal family were warned. Closer Magazine editor Laurence Pieau tweeted in French "We can say that after tomorrow's Closer, Harry will feel less alone...", the evening before the recent edition was ready to be shown to the public. Pieau defends her decision to publish the photos by saying the photos were not "degrading" and the images were "like the millions of women you see on beaches". This is a typical attitude you would find in a pervy publication. So there was no surprise when I discovered the magazine was formed by previous Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and currently managed by his daughter, Marina.
This story is a complete contrast to Prince Harry and The Sun newspaper. Whereas the world already knew of the third-heir-to-the-throne antics in Las Vegas, none of us were made aware of Kate Middleton's images - even she had no idea. Prince William quickly came to the scene and spoke of his unhappiness and therefore decided to take legal action against Closer Magazine meaning the publication could pay millions to the royal couple. Consequently, the magazine could face further charges by the French media authorities as it claims the publication breached privacy regulations so its pages in the future could be, pardon the pun, naked. British regulators take note, France take action, not Leveson.
Furthermore, Italian magazine, Chi has published the same images followed by Irish Daily Star newspaper, the latter in particular, sparking anger by the British public. Some campaigned to boycott the newspaper altogether. Its co-owner and media mogul Richard Desmond however is going a step further and says he is pondering to close down the newspaper. It's interesting how people are learning from Rupert Murdoch's mistakes. The British media insist they will not be publishing such images but now wouldn't be able to as it has been announced the royal couple have banned further publishing of the images after eventually filing for an injunction.
Regardless, seeing naked images of anyone in the media is indecent. I don't want to use words like "grotesque" which some have used to describe Closer Magazine's decision but it would be useful to think about the lessons the royal family can learn from this experience. Besides, it's no coincidence that two royal family members would be seen like this, especially when they have been portrayed in the past as humble and popular individuals. And in addition, it will add to their insecurities that they can't do anything without looking over their shoulder constantly.
Since her marriage to Prince William in 2011, a lot of people have been comparing Kate to Diana, Princess of Wales. Both hers and Diana's wedding with Prince Charles in 1981 were like-for-like, watched by millions and are still major talking points to this day. Will Kate Middleton have children, a divorce and then pass away in a horrific car crash, let's hope not.
However, the main difference between Kate and Diana is that the former is not alone. When Diana was receiving similar and unwanted coverage, she was a divorcee and had little support from the royal family - her sons William and Harry were too young at the time to notice but now, William supports Kate unconditionally and has gained the love of the royal family. Will that be enough? It will do for now but she, and the rest of the immediate relatives of Queen Elizabeth II have to remain vigilant of the unpredictable media. Any photo or conversation nowadays is either in print or online so they must be careful.
Kate Middleton means well and I can see her benefiting society through charity work and being a role model but in order to stop worrying herself over the media, she needs to control the way they exploit her. She was bound to attract trouble and since it's come now rather than later, she needs to get back on her feet and start enjoying her time in the spotlight - she has that injunction to prevent these private resort photos from going anywhere else, now she needs to go through other aspects of the media and say no to any coverage she will feel uncomfortable about.
The main issue here is that we are getting increasingly connected to Kate and I'm sure she enjoys some media attention but the 21st Century is different to the 1980s/1990s when the paparazzi era was starting to rise. Now they are well-known and developed a reputation, we should learn to keep them distant from our private lives. They would do anything to get a story and Kate Middleton is bound to be an easy target. I really don't want her to fall apart because of the media.
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