Little Prince George and his baby sister Princess Charlotte were born as royalty, through no choice of their own. They are stalked by paparazzi, will be harassed in the future wherever they go and subjected to the constant gaze and expectation of the media at every turn. Who would want this for their children? Not I. Neither do Prince William and Duchess Kate apparently. Hardly surprising. For regardless of their royal roles their children deserve the right to be safe from the stalking prey that is the paparazzi.
The British Royal family have today published a letter on the official Prince of Wales website pleading for their children’s right to live a semi-normal existence whilst also listing examples of a series of disturbing tactics being used by the paparazzi to photograph Prince George. The statement claims photographers have used long range lenses to photograph Duchess Kate playing with Prince George in private parks, sneakily hidden in sand dunes on a rural beach and also in the private grounds of properties around Prince William and Duchess Kate’s Norfolk home. In another recent incident, a photographer was even found lying down in the boot of a car with blacked out windows attempting to shoot photos of Prince George in a children’s play area. Oh dear.
The UN Human Rights Charter states “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.” Perhaps some paparazzi might want to educate themselves by giving this document a look.
Ah but look at all the perks of being a royal you may say…
Really?
Consider this. Imagine you are Prince William. You are born into royalty through no fault of your own. You are a normal kid in an abnormal situation. You are told you will one day be King. From the moment you are born you are entertainment. You must observe and obey royal protocol. You cannot fart without someone recording it. Your Mother is a pawn in the battle between media outlets. Your childhood is tarnished by all manner of upsetting family disputes. Your whole life is entertainment to the public.
Your Mother isn’t just your Mum. She is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. At every turn she is stalked, harassed, idolised, exposed. Then one day when you are barely a teenager your Mother is killed in a car accident whilst being chased by the paparazzi. The same paparazzi that berated, shamed and adored her. Somehow you are expected to continue to appease the same vultures that helped to cause the death of your beloved Mother as you are royalty and that is part and parcel of your position.
Years later after passively and obediently observing your royal role you marry. The ceremony is viewed live by tens of millions of people around the world, including 72 million live streams on YouTube. During the coverage the media turn all the attention of the day to your sister in law’s bottom. It even gathers a following of 24,000 people on Facebook via ‘The Pippa Middleton Ass Appreciation Society ‘. Despite this nonsense your wife must continue to smile and act gracefully regardless.
Then you have kids. All around the world media list odds of what your child’s gender, weight and name may be. You realise you have no choice but to continue to accept these facts regardless of your own wishes. So you give the public and media what they want in the hope that when the time comes for you to request a right to privacy, to raise your young family safe from the glare, your request will be respected by the media. A reasonable request given the endless threats to the children’s safety. Some will respect this but unfortunately many don’t…too hungry for the kudos and money of publishing pictures of your children.
Are you not in a sense, helpless? There is nowhere to hide. Paparazzi hide in the bushes, cars, anywhere they can find like psychopaths stalking prey. Only it’s your infant children they are stalking. Your son probably can’t sleep he is so scared of the strange men and women that lurk at every corner with their big lenses. No thanks. Who on earth would want that for their children?
It was only last week that I come across a photo shopped image of the late Princess Diana planting a kiss on her infant granddaughter Princess Charlotte and felt appalled. Imagine how that must make Prince William feel. He lost his Mother because she was stalked to death by the paparazzi and now he must continue to face a desperate media that is not only stalking his children but continuing to dishonour his Mother by publishing such insensitive and deeply disturbing images as the above mentioned.
I think I would lose my mind.
Let’s hope the paparazzi pull their heads in. For the sake of the children and their right to be protected.