Court Ruling on Kate Middleton Topless Photos Expected Tuesday
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PHIL NOBLE/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A French court is expected to render a decision Tuesday on a request by a royal attorney for Prince William and Kate Middleton to block further publication of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
On Friday, the French magazine Closer published numerous photos of Kate topless, and on Monday, its sister publication, Italy’s Chi magazine, published a 26-page spread of the topless photos. Both magazines are owned by the Italian publishing group Mondadori, which is owned by Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s former prime minister.
Attorney Aurelien Hamelle argued in court Monday that the royal couple was involved in a “healthy and profoundly intimate” moment at a French chateau when a photographer snapped images that are “deeply personal,” according to RadarOnline.com.
Delphine Pando, the attorney representing Closer, argued that topless photographs were no longer considered shocking in modern society. She claimed the photos were taken by an agency and didn’t belong to the magazine.
In addition to seeking an injunction to block further publication of the photos, Hamelle is asking the court for $6,550 in damages from Closer magazine and a fine of more than $13,000 a day for each day the injunction is ignored. The royal attorney is also seeking a $131,000 penalty if the photos are sold to another tabloid.
The BBC reports the editor of the Irish Daily Star was suspended Monday for publishing the photos. Editor Michael O’Kane tells the BBC he did it “as a service” to readers. “I’m a little taken aback by the reaction in the U.K. It only seems to be an issue in the U.K. because she is your future queen. But from our point of view in Ireland, Kate Middleton is just another of the fantastic line of celebrities,” O’Kane said.
While their attorney was in a French court arguing on their behalf, Prince William and Kate were in the midst of a royal visit to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific where a group of topless women dressed in traditional clothing presented the couple with garlands to wear around their necks.
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