Editors must not treat Prince William as "fair game" after he leaves school this week, even though public interest in his life is certain to increase, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in Britain, Lord Wakeham, said yesterday.
In an attempt to balance inevitable public interest with Prince William's right to privacy, Lord Wakeham warned editors in a speech in London outlining future press guidelines that the restraint shown while the prince studied at Eton should not be reversed now that he had passed his 18th birthday. Otherwise, he said, the "powerful headlamps of unwarranted publicity" would make the Prince's life a misery.
Setting out the circumstances in which photographs could not be taken, Lord Wakeham said that any snatched photographs in places where there was a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a restaurant or a private garden, would not be permitted.
Lord Wakeham also told editors they must exercise restraint in reporting or photographing any future girlfriends and continue to consider the impact upon the prince of inaccurate stories.
Prince William, who is expected to take a year out before attending university, can expect to deal with the media on a regular basis now that he is no longer protected as a minor under the editors' code. St James's Palace will take the lead in arranging media access and newspapers must abide by the code of practice which bans hounding or intimidation, but the prince can now be photographed on the street, shopping and, in most cases, going about his daily business.
Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace said the speech underlined the need for personal privacy while recognising legitimate public interest. The editor of the Mirror, Mr Piers Morgan, said the guidelines were sensible, but warned that the biggest problem for the royal family would not be his newspaper's paying them too much attention, but "it will be us paying them too little".
PA adds: Nearly 3,000 official engagements were undertaken in the UK and abroad by members of the royal family in 1999-2000, it was revealed yesterday.
The cost of using RAF aircraft from the Royal Squadron was £4.2 million last year, compared to just over £9 million in 19981999. Ten per cent of the squadron's fixed-wing flying during 1999-2000 was for the royal family and their staff and the rest was for the government, senior service officers and other service use.
Instead, more journeys were made by helicopter, and expenditure by the royal household on such travel went up from £1.3 million to £1.8 million. More use was also made of the royal train, partly due to more travel to Scotland and Wales, but the cost fell from £811,000 to £756,000.
The cost of the royal train has decreased by more than 60 per cent since the grant-in-aid began three years ago. This is due to a reduction in the number of coaches from 14 to nine, and other savings.