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Britain's Prince William complained on Friday that paparazzi chased him on motorbikes and in cars as he left a nightclub, days after an inquest opened into his mother's death in a high-speed crash.
His spokesman said it was "incomprehensible" that William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton should be pursued in such a way, as a London court examines the events surrounding Princess Diana's death.
Her Mercedes was being chased by paparazzi when it crashed in a Paris tunnel in 1997.
In a rare statement, the prince's press secretary Paddy Harverson said: "Having already been photographed leaving a club, he and Kate Middleton were then pursued in his car by photographers on motorcycles, in vehicles and on foot.
"This aggressive pursuit was potentially dangerous, and worrying for them.
"It seems incomprehensible, particularly at this time, that this behaviour is still going on."
The incident happened in the early hours outside the exclusive Boujis nightclub in central London.
A crowd of photographers gathered outside the club hoping for the first picture of the couple together in public since reports that they have rekindled their relationship.
The pair have faced intense media attention since they met while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland in 2001.
Worldwide media interest in the couple peaked in January over speculation the pair were about to get engaged.
Middleton was mobbed by photographers and camera crews as she left her London home on her 25th birthday.
The pair have repeatedly appealed to the media to show restraint. The intense scrutiny has stirred memories of the media circus that surrounded Diana.
Middleton complained to the press watchdog earlier this year after the Daily Mirror published a picture of her walking to work.
- REUTERS
