Woman’s Day editor Fiona Connolly is defending her decision to publish photographs of a bikini-clad and pregnant Duchess of Cambridge taken while she and her husband Prince William were holidaying on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique.
The photos, which will also be published by Italian magazine Chi, as well as publications in France and the United States, provoked a strongly worded statement from St James Palace: “We are disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas.
“This is a clear breach of the couple’s right to privacy.”
In Britain, the palace and press have a long-standing “gentleman’s agreement” not to publish pictures of the couple. But that understanding does not exist elsewhere in the world.
Also, Fiona Connolly argues that the photographs do not invade the Royal couple’s privacy.
“She is on a public beach and she is mingling with holiday makers,” says Fiona. “There are other holiday makers in the photos. These photographs have not been taken by a professional photographer hiding in the bushes.
“They are not nude photos taken with a telescopic lens…They are images showing her on a happy holiday…and she looks amazing.”
Woman’s Day has an established history of publishing photographs of Britain’s Royal family, a clear reflection of how popular the Royals remain with the Australian magazine buying public. And the fact remains that if audiences didn’t want to see photos of their favourite Royals, then the magazines that publish them wouldn’t sell.