Royals Warn Paparazzi About Kate and William
The newly engaged couple, in a controlled setting, in the glare of a grateful world media, is the kind of picture the Royals like to see, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.
What they're trying to avoid is a princess-to-be scurrying away from a persistent pack of prying paparazzi -- this scene filmed during Kate and William's brief break up period three years ago.
It's a scene reminiscent of the kind of hounding that became a regular part of William's mother's life - culminating on that night in Paris when Diana and Dodi Fayed died in a car crash while trying to avoid photographers. Two inquests later blamed the deaths not on the photographers, but on the speeding car's drunken driver.
Still the royal family has now warned that any intrusion on William and Kate's privacy will bring the full force of British law down on the intruders like a royal ton of bricks.
"I mean I honestly believe that if Tiger Woods were British you wouldn't have known about Tiger Woods," said public relations consultant Max Clifford. "That's how it is in this country now."
And English privacy law is a lot stronger than American privacy law. In England, there's something called "The Red Carpet Rule". If it's an official function - on a red carpet, real or imaginary - it's O.K., pictures can be taken. If it's a private function - off the carpet -- it's private, off-limits, and courts back that up.
In fact they've already backed up Kate Middleton. Sneaked photos of her playing tennis were kept out of the papers here by royal legal pressure and the photo agency which took the pictures had to apologize and pay damages.
At the heart of this threat is William's desire to protect Kate. It's an arrangement the notoriously unruly British tabloids seem happy with for now in the pre-honeymoon period. But what happens later?
"My suspicion is that there might be some domestic ups and downs, which will still make rather good pictures and rather good words," said Kelvin Mackenzie, former editor of British tabloid The Sun. "And therefore will lead to the royal family getting very irritated and on that basis the line may hold, but I wouldn't bet on it."
The royals are betting that a happy couple will continue to make good news. If not, the law is on their side.
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