Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was plainly stupid to allow herself to be out and exposed in the daylight and 1,000 feet from a public road in France, topless.
This, then, is the anatomy of how a photo shoot came to be that resulted in the production of a set of photos of a member of The British Royal Family in an undignified state of undress while in search of a tan.
According to The Daily Mail and other online sources, the scene of the production of the photos, or the scene of the crime, if you like, is “Chateau D’Autet, a luxury holiday chateau in Provence which is which is owned by Viscount Linley, the Queen’s nephew,” as reported by The Daily Mail.
The Mirror reports the Chateau as “640 acres of fragrant woodland in the Luberon region of Provence..far from the gaze of other holidaymakers” But not from the watchful eye of a professional photographer.
Daily Mail photographer Bruce Adams, who found the place where he thinks the pictures were taken, told his employer that “There is a public road that goes down one side of the valley and the Chateau is on the opposite side. We could not believe how easy it was to see the chateau because normally these kind of places are hidden away. It was quite surprising how open and unsecure the location was.”
The location where the topless photos were believed to have been taken has a perfect 1,000 foot line of site from the road to where Mr. Adams says the Royals were frolicking at the Chateau. So, to be technically frank, there was no invasion of privacy by the paparazzi who took the pictures if Mr. Adams is correct in determining how it was done.
First, the road itself is a public access way; it’s not private – moreover it wasn’t closed off from access by anyone at all. You’d think such a security sweep would be standard procedure for the Royals – it’s totally shocking to learn that either it’s not the case, or the security people were just plain careless.
Second, Kate elected to place herself in an outdoor setting with, from her perspective and that of her family, a view. If she can see out to the French countryside without obstruction, it should have occurred to her that others could see her clearly without obstruction and with a darn good telephoto lens.
Third, it also means a person with a weapon could have easily stood in the same spot as a photographer. How awful is it that the Duchess of Cambridge has such weak protection, if at all. Ms. Middleton should thank God that wasn’t the case.
Now, and because of the alleged nature of the way the photos were made, it’s quite possible a vigorous legal defense could be successful. And it is so, because the overall idea is you’re supposed to avert your eye just because it’s a member of The Royal Family, whereas if it were Lindsey Lohan, some would have said she was tanning herself in that position just to get attention because it allowed for easy photographic view.
Stay tuned.