Kate Middleton Topless Scandal: Royal Couple Files Criminal Complaint

Was Kate Middleton a victim of a crime?

Lawyers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are going to court in Paris today seeking criminal charges against the photographer responsible for the Kate Middleton topless pictures.

In addition to an invasion of privacy civil case, Kate Middleton and Prince William want French authorities to conduct a criminal investigation into the magazine Closer and the paparazzi who took the nude photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.

The London Telegraph provides this background on the case over the notorious topless photos that were published last week:

“The request for a criminal investigation is in addition to a civil case against the photographer, as well as against the publishers of Closer magazine, which will begin with a hearing in a court near Paris later today… the couple also believe the photographer who took the pictures has committed a criminal act under French law and want a criminal investigation to run in tandem with the civil case.”

The royal couple’s lawyers are also seeking an injunction to prevent Closer from publishing any more intimate photos of Kate Middleton that were taken while she was sunbathing in Provence two weeks ago. In addition to Closer, the photos have also appeared in the Irish Daily Star and and may be published in an Italian magazine.

Closer’s editor in chief defended the initial decision to publish the Kate Middleton photos:

“What we saw in the pictures was a young couple that have just got married, who are in love, who are beautiful. She’s a princess of the 21st Century.”

It will be up to French prosecutors to decide whether to pursue criminal charges against the photographer.

Do you think Kate Middleton should be afforded the same privacy rights as ordinary citizens?