Verdict On Kate And William Topless Photos Lawsuit Against Paparazzi Expected Tomorrow

Prince William and Princess Kate revealed to the world today some happy news that they are expecting their third child, and they may or not receive some additional good news in court tomorrow.

A Paris-area criminal court will reportedly rule Tuesday on a case filed by William and Kate Middleton over topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge published by a French tabloid. The British royal couple is suing for approximately $1.6 million-plus in money damages for invasion of privacy. While the images were subsequently banned in France, they were picked up by other European publications as well as online.

The prince and princess brought the case against several individuals affiliated with the gossip magazine Closer and two paparazzi following the publication of images of Middleton sunbathing topless while on vacation in the south of France in September 2012 while they were staying at a private chateau owned by Queen Elizabeth’s nephew. Using a telephoto lens, paparazzi allegedly took pictures of Kate as she was enjoying the sun while she was relaxing on a private terrace at the villa in Provence.

According to the Le Soleil, the court will render its ruling tomorrow, although the news outlet seemed to imply that another postponement of the decision, which originally was set for early July, might occur. “The prosecutor had asked for ‘very significant’ fines against two representatives of Closer…and against two photographers of a Parisian agency suspected of having taken these pictures,” Le Soleil noted, based on Google Translate.

At the time of a May 2017 court hearing, Princess Diana’s son asserted in a document filed in court that “the photographs were shocking and ‘all the more painful’ given the harassment linked to the death of his mother,” CBS News reported. Twenty years ago, the beloved Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in a Paris tunnel while paparazzi chased her and her boyfriend, prompting worldwide mourning.

The magazine’s attorney claimed that the Kate Middleton topless photos were within the public interest because they refuted claims that duchess was supposedly suffering from anorexia, CBS News added.

The two paparazzi have denied that they took the photos in question, ABC News indicated.

“The timing of today’s baby announcement from the couple is either a coincidence or a clever misdirection, depending on your level of cynicism,” the U.K. political blog Guido Fawkes suggested today in a post about the anticipated judgment in the privacy lawsuit brought by Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton.

Privacy laws are generally stricter in Europe than in the U.S., where anyone considered a public figure usually has a difficult hurdle to overcome when seeking damages in court from media organizations.

[Featured Image by KGC-178/STAR MAX/IPx/AP Images]