Long before he became heir to the British throne, Prince William made a quiet but firm decision: he would not allow history to repeat itself.
According to royal editor Russell Myers in his new book William and Catherine, that resolve hardened into something far more forceful in 2012, when paparazzi secretly photographed Catherine, Princess of Wales, topless while the couple vacationed in the South of France. The incident, Myers argues, marked a defining moment in William’s relationship with the press — and a line he was prepared to defend at any cost.
The photographs were taken while the couple were staying at a private 19th-century hunting lodge in Provence, enjoying a brief break ahead of an official overseas tour. Unbeknownst to them, a photographer positioned roughly a mile away used a long-range lens to capture intimate images. When the French magazine Closer published the photos, the shock reverberated instantly through palace walls.
One former aide described the moment as if “time stood still.”
For William, the sense of violation was not just personal — it was historical. As Myers recounts, the prince had grown up watching the disintegration of his parents’ marriage unfold under relentless media scrutiny. The breakdown of King Charles III and Princess Diana’s relationship had been chronicled daily in headlines and photographs, culminating in the tragic 1997 car crash that claimed Diana’s life while she was being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.
William had no intention of reliving that era.
Myers writes that William immediately placed urgent calls to his father and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, informing them that legal action would follow. A public statement was issued condemning the publication as a “grotesque” invasion of privacy, and the prince instructed his legal team to pursue the matter fully.
“This time, he was ready to go to war with the press,” Myers wrote.
The legal battle stretched over years. In 2017, a French court ordered Closer to pay €100,000 in damages to the couple and fined two staff members an additional €90,000. While the financial award fell far short of the €1.5 million initially sought, the ruling was widely interpreted as a symbolic victory — a warning shot to tabloids tempted to test the boundaries of royal privacy.
Throughout the ordeal, Catherine reportedly maintained composure in public, carrying out royal duties with visible calm. Behind the scenes, however, aides described William as deeply angered and intensely protective, demanding updates from lawyers and pushing the case forward with determination.
Myers suggests the episode cemented William’s approach to media relations: firm, controlled, and protective of his immediate family above all else. Even before the birth of their three children, he is said to have made clear that safeguarding his wife’s well-being — and his own mental health — was non-negotiable.
