Magazine, editor fined over Kate topless snaps
A FRENCH court ruled yesterday that a French celebrity magazine must pay ß100 000 (R1.5-million) in damages to Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate over topless photos of the duchess published in 2012.
The court also ordered Closer magazine’s editor Laurence Pieau and publisher Ernesto Mauri to each pay ß45 000 (R690 000) in fines, the maximum possible.
The couple had sought ß1.5 million (R23-million) in damages and interest.
Closer magazine’s lawyer, Paul-Albert Iweins, said he was pleased with the ruling on the damages to pay, but said the fine was exaggerated for a simple private matter.
The royal couple’s lawyer, Jean Veil, declined to comment.
Two Paris-based agency photographers, Cyril Moreau, 32, and Dominique Jacovides, 59, were each given fines of ß10 000 (R153 500), with ß5 000 (R76 000) suspended.
The grainy snaps of Kate Middleton sunbathing in a bikini bottom were taken while she was on holiday in September 2012 in the south of France with her husband, the second in line to the British throne.
The couple were snapped relaxing by a pool at a chateau belonging to Viscount Linley, Queen Elizabeth’s nephew.
The pictures triggered a furious reaction from the royal family in Britain, where several newspapers rejected an offer to buy them.
Closer, a glossy gossip magazine, was the first to splash them on its cover, and they were later reproduced in several other European publications.
The court also ordered Closer to hand over the files with the images to the royal couple.