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Home / Lifestyle

British press 'respectful' of royal family

AAP
20 Apr, 2015 07:50 PM3 mins to read

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Prince George made a rare appearance with his parents on last year's tour of New Zealand. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prince George made a rare appearance with his parents on last year's tour of New Zealand. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Shadow of Princess of Wales’ death means press pack shows restraint when it comes to media coverage

When Prince William and his wife Kate emerge from hospital cradling Britain's new royal baby for the cameras, the picture will be on the front of newspapers worldwide.

But don't expect many photographs after that. The second in line to the throne and his wife have fought hard for the right to bring up their family in private, despite being one of the most famous couples in the world.

Read more:
• Royal baby: Hospital ready for the 'special event'
• Royal bets are in: It's a girl named Alice

Their first child, Prince George, is approaching his second birthday but has only appeared in public a few times - outside the hospital when he was born in 2013, at his christening and on a tour of Australia and New Zealand last year.

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The media are generally prepared to accept such scarce appearances by George and the new baby, expected this month.

"People have quite an outdated view of the British royal press pack," said Richard Palmer, royal correspondent for Britain's Daily Express newspaper. "I think they still think we're hiding in hedgerows and doing things that people did 25 years ago.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge arrive at Wellington Military Terminal. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George disembark from the RNZAF jet after arriving at Wellington Airport. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holds Prince George during the Plunket get together at Government House in Wellington.
Prince George with The Duchess of Cambridge at a Plunket play date in Wellington. Photo / AFP
Prince George plays with toys at the Plunket play date at Government House in Wellington. Photo / AFP
Prince George of Cambridge attends Plunkett's Parent's Group at Government House in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge attend Plunkett's Parent's Group at Government House in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holds Prince George of Cambridge during a Plunket nurse and parents group visit at Government House in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George talk to Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae and wife Lady Janine as they leave New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge are farewelled from New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George look on before boarding a Royal Australian Air Force plane for their flight to Australia at Wellington Airport. Photo / Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge arrive at Sydney Airport, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge carries Prince George of Cambridge as they arrive at Sydney Airport. Photo / Getty Images
Prince George of Cambridge is given a gift at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their son Prince George look at a Bilby, which has been named after the young Prince, during a visit to Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gives Prince George a toy bilby during a visit to the Bilby Enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge holds Prince George as he nibbles on a commemorative card during a visit to the Bilby Enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holds Prince George of Cambridge as they visit the Bilby Enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Photo / Getty Images

Image 1 of 18: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge arrive at Wellington Military Terminal. Photo / Getty Images

"But the reality is the British press is pretty respectful to the royal family at the moment; some might say it's a bit cowed."

"Readers don't want you to go too far," added Simon Perry, chief foreign correspondent of US celebrity magazine People.

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"I don't think there is an appetite for people to be pursued or intruded upon in an excessive way."

The death of William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, was a turning point in the royal family's relationship with the media.

She was being followed by paparazzi photographers when her car, driven by a chauffeur who had been drinking, crashed in Paris in 1997.

William "thinks the press were to blame" for Diana's death, said Judy Wade, Hello! magazine's royal correspondent.

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19 Apr 08:05 PM

Kate is also suspicious of the media after incidents including the publication by a French magazine of paparazzi photographs of her topless on holiday in 2012, Wade added.

Although Britain has no overarching privacy law, newspapers now hardly ever publish paparazzi photographs of William, Kate or George, even though they are periodically published by magazines elsewhere and circulate on Twitter and Facebook.

Royal officials also take a hard line: when a photographer was suspected of following Prince George and his nanny in London parks last year, lawyers swiftly sent a warning letter.

But Wade said that paparazzi shots were still published elsewhere in the world.

"If somebody gets a set of paparazzi pictures, they will sell in Europe, America but not here," Wade said. "A lot of people, especially photographers, can't make any money out of it any more."

Another factor in changing the style of coverage has been the outcry over British newspapers hacking the voicemails of celebrities, which led to some reporters being jailed.

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The News of the World tabloid, closed by owner Rupert Murdoch in 2011, hacked phones belonging to Kate, William and his brother Prince Harry over 200 times.

It looks like most coverage of the second royal baby will be much like that for the first: respectful, even deferential, with a focus on the feelgood factor.

But Palmer warned that, despite William and Kate's desire for privacy, the royals in general need media coverage to guarantee their survival.

"Clearly, without the oxygen of publicity, the royal family would wither and die," he said.

- AAP

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