Kate Middleton and Prince William have scored a major legal victory involving their three children. Indeed, they have won a legal case case against the publisher of a French magazine. This came after the publication released photos of them and their three children on a skiing vacation back in April.
Kate And William Win Big In Court
Paris Match reportedly published the photos on April 16, 2025. The images show Kate, 43, and William, 43, on vacation in the Alps with their children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. A court in France concluded that Paris Match infringed on their privacy when it published the photos.
Kate and William decided to pursue legal action against Paris Match because they found the images to be “grossly intrusive.” A spokesperson for the royal couple has since warned that they won’t hesitate to do so again. This is part of their fight to ensure that their children will grow up “without undue scrutiny and interference.”
“Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, have been successful in legal proceedings brought in France against the owner of Paris Match, which published a grossly intrusive article and long-lens paparazzi photographs of their private family holiday in the Alps in April,” the spokesperson told People Magazine.
“The ruling affirms that, notwithstanding their public duties as members of the Royal Family, Their Royal Highnesses and their children are entitled to respect for their private lives and family time, without unlawful interference and intrusion,” the spokesperson continued.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales are committed to protecting their private family time and ensuring that their children can grow up without undue scrutiny and interference,” Kate and William’s spokesperson concluded. “They will not hesitate to take such action as is necessary to enforce those boundaries.”
Paris Match Infringed On Kate And William’s Privacy
The court ruled in Kate and William’s favor. Indeed it ruled that the French magazine infringed on the family’s privacy and image rights. Paris Match must now pay the legal costs for the couple. Kate and William have since asked for a publication of a judicial notice in the magazine, which has now happened.
This notice read: “By order dated 18 September 2025, the urgent applications judge of the Nanterre Judicial Court found that the publication of an article and photographs in the magazine Paris Match issue no 3962 dated 10 April 2025, in addition to the publication that was made on the social media pages of Paris Match, had infringed the respect due to their private life and the rights The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have on their image.”
Kate And William’s Previous Court Battle
This sadly wasn’t the first time that Kate and William have gone to court in France over intrusive images. Back in 2012, they were involved in another court case. That one came after long-lens photos were taken of Kate sunbathing topless in the south of France. Buckingham Palace issued a statement at the time saying that the publication of the photos was “unjustifiable.”
“Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner,” the palace said. “The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting” for being so.
This serves as a reminder that while there are many positives to being royal, there are many downsides as well. In the end, Kate and William’s children deserve to grow up in privacy just like any other kid does. Here’s hoping that they never need to deal with anything like this again in the future!