Prince William, Duchess Kate Take 'Legal Steps' Against Paparazzo
Buckingham Palace said the move was prompted by an incident in a London park.
— -- Prince William and Duchess Kate have taken legal action against a photographer who they say is “harassing” their 1-year-old son, Prince George, and his nanny.
The new “legal steps” were spurred by an incident in a London park last week, Buckingham Palace said today in a prepared statement.
“The individual was spotted at a central London Park in the vicinity of Prince George, who was removed from the Park immediately,” the statement read. “There is reason to suspect that the individual may [have] been placing Prince George under surveillance and monitoring his daily routines for a period of time.”
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The incident in the park “prompted Their Royal Highnesses to seek reasonable assurances from the individual about his behaviour,” according to the palace.
The photographer was later identified as Niraj Tanna,whose legal team released a seven-page letter Thursday saying he did not break any laws.
"He will do his job to report on issues of public interest. He will do so, however, entirely within the bounds of the law," Tanna's lawyer, Jonathan Coad, told ABC News.
George is the first child for William and Kate, both 32, and the first grandchild for William’s parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
The young prince’s nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, was announced by the royal family in March. One month later, in April, she joined William, Kate and George on their trip to Australia and New Zealand, their first formal overseas trip as a family of three since George’s July 22 birth.
Borrallo was trained at Norland College, a nanny training college in Bath, England, known as one of the best in the world.
Duchess Kate, now pregnant with the couple’s second child, is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a rare but extreme form of morning sickness, that has forced her to cancel public events.
In announcing the legal move, the palace said it understands that Prince George is a public figure but asked for his privacy as a child.
“The Duke and Duchess understand the particular public role that Prince George will one day inherit but while he is young, he must be permitted to lead as ordinary a life as possible,” the palace said. “No parent would tolerate the suspicion of someone pursuing and harassing their child and [caregiver] whilst their child is playing in a public park or going about their daily activities."