Kate Middleton and Prince William took some time off at Kate’s family’s villa in France. The couple went out on the balcony for some sun and relaxation. They settled into chairs and Kate slipped off her top to avoid those pesky tan lines. She was on a balcony on a family villa, a place she had visited several times a place that was probably seen as a refuge away from the prying eyes of the press, but what she didn’t count on was a paparazzo with a telephoto lens taking over 200 pictures of her in the buff.
The topless photos were printed in a French magazine, and naturally, the royal family pressed charges. And won. The magazine was ordered to turn over the photos or be fined $13,000 for every day they delayed. The magazine complied, but the damage was done. The photos were out, they were on the Internet and they were picked up by at least three other publications.
The magazine’s defense is that the royal couple could be clearly scene from the road where the pictures were taken so technically they did nothing wrong. Other magazines said they do this with celebrities all the time so what’s the big deal about Kate? The big deal isn’t about Kate per se. It’s about privacy violations.
One magazine said that Sharon Stone and Kate Moss have appeared half naked with on holiday and the pictures wound up in their magazine so this isn’t any different. But Kate Moss and Sharon Stone have also both appeared nude of their own volition. Kate Middleton never has. Kate Middleton also didn’t choose to be a model or an actress; she chose to marry the man she loves. That man happens to be in the public eye as the future King of England. Not an Oscar winner, not a musician, not a model—a role that is given to him at birth, a role he didn’t choose. But because he is public and now she is public, they belong to us? Is that excuse we’re using?
The Sharon Stone and Kate Moss defense is reprehensible. These women were on beaches, they were on the pages of Playboy and in advertisements and runways naked by choice. Kate Middleton was in a secluded villa with her husband and her naked body is now plastered all over the Internet. I couldn’t imagine the humiliation, the devastation, and the violation she must be feeling. How could you ever feel comfortable again?
Despite all of those feelings and their legal battle Kate and William have continued their royal tour of Asia and the Pacific and she has been poised, graceful, and beautiful the entire time. She is by far an example of how to overcome the pettiness of others. Why is there even a market for this kind of thing? Are we that sophomoric? Are we that simple? Are royal boobies any better than regular boobies? Is there a shortage of girls willing to pop their tops? So many beautiful actresses bare their bodies on screen, so many amateurs do it on free adult websites—why do we need to seek out and force others to do it?
