Prince William wins privacy case

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate have won a privacy case against French magazine “Paris Match” for publishing paparazzi photos of them and their children taken during a private vacation, according to a court notice published in the magazine on Thursday.

The ruling marks the royal couple’s second successful lawsuit against a French publication. In 2012 they won a similar case against Closer magazine after it printed topless photos of the Princess of Wales.

Proceedings against Paris Match, owned by French luxury group LVMH, began in April shortly after the magazine printed the unauthorized images taken in the Alps.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales are committed to protecting their family time and ensuring that their children can grow up without undue scrutiny and interference.”

The couple, who have three children — Princes George and Louis, ages 12 and 7, and Princess Charlotte, 10 — have long emphasized their desire to give them as normal a childhood as possible.

William, 43, has often spoken of his deep distrust of the media since his mother, Princess Diana, died in a Paris car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi. Both he and Kate were also among the victims of phone hacking by British newspapers. William had previously settled with Rupert Murdoch’s papers.

Paris Match acknowledged in its published legal statement that it had violated the family’s right to privacy and image rights. William and Kate’s legal team told the court the couple had asked for the notice to be published instead of financial compensation.