Kate Middleton: Paparazzi on trial over topless photos, lawyer says 'much ado about nothing'
Updated
Three photographers have appeared in a French court over topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge, an alleged invasion of privacy that outraged Britain's royal family.
Key points:
- The Duchess of Cambridge was photographed while sunbathing during a private holiday
- The couple made a criminal complaint against the photographers, the trial has begun in France
- A verdict is expected on July 4
The photos were published in a French gossip magazine in 2012, the year after Kate Middleton married Prince William.
The couple subsequently filed a court complaint, but did not attend the trial outside Paris.
The royal couple reportedly asked for damages of about 1.5 million euros ($2.175 million) to be paid for the photographs.
The pictures of Kate were taken with telephoto lenses while she and her husband apparently were sunbathing on a patio at a private luxury estate in France's southern Provence region.
The owner and executive editor of celebrity magazine Closer were also tried, along with the former publisher of a French regional newspaper that also ran the photos. None of the executives attended.
Defence lawyer Francois Blistene, who is representing photographers Cyril Moreau and Dominique Jacovides, claimed his clients are innocent and said he is certain they will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
"The investigation was botched," Mr Blistene said.
"They were looking for scapegoats, they found these two.
"But the elements in the court file show that they are not involved."
The lawyer added, "Like Shakespeare might put it: 'Much ado about nothing."
Paul-Albert Iweins, the lawyer for Closer magazine owner Ernesto Mauri, asserted that he did not understand why the royal couple was upset enough to go to court.
"The article made everybody happy, from the readers to the royal family, whatever they might say, since the couple was presented under a very favourable light," Mr Iweins said.
The prosecutor asked the court to impose substantial fines on the magazine executives and photographers Moreau and Jacovides.
Jean Veil, the lawyer for Kate and William, said he was seeking high damages.
A verdict is expected on July 4.
AP
Topics: royal-and-imperial-matters, law-crime-and-justice, print-media, information-and-communication, england, france
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