Papers ordered respect royal privacy

Prince William: Shedding HRH title

LONDON, England -- Tabloid editors have been ordered to respect the privacy of Britain's Prince William and not publish paparazzi pictures of the royal pin-up

Lord Wakeham, chairmen of the Press Complaints Commission said newspapers had not used unauthorised shots of William at school in Eton College and this should continue when he starts university in September.

Wakeham said: "I hope William's privacy is respected, because it simply is not reasonable for a young man to go to university and not have a chance to pursue his university career."

Prince William, 18, was protected against unauthorised photos until his birthday by the newspaper industry's Code of Conduct which advises against pictures of minors being published without parental permission.

William, son of the late Princess Diana and heir-to-the-throne Prince of Wales, has also decided to shed his HRH title.

A spokesman for St James' Palace told The Times newspaper: "He has asked that people do not call him sir or bow when they meet him."

The prince is taking a year off from studies after leaving Britain's exclusive Eton College near London last year before starting a four-year art history degree at St Andrews University in Scotland.

The decision to abandon the HRH title comes ahead of his most high profile public appearance to date at a star-studded dinner in London on Wednesday.

The dinner held to celebrate the Press Complaints Commission's 10th anniversary, marks the first public appearance together of Prince William with his father and father's girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles.

The bash will generate huge media attention as William rubs shoulders with a gathering of celebrities and stars including Michael Caine, Claudia Schiffer and Kylie Minogue.

The presence of Charles and William at the event is, says St James' Palace, a thank you to the commission for helping to protect William and his brother Harry while they were at Eton.

The PCC is an independent organisation that was set up in 1991. Its aim is to police British newspapers and magazines over breaches of privacy and other misdemeanours.

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Press Complaints Commission
Somerset House
University of St Andrews

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