Prince William Complained About the Paparazzi Too, Not Just Harry

A video of Prince William denouncing paparazzi "who spit at you, who shout at you and who react really badly to get a reaction from you" has gone viral on TikTok amid Prince Harry's repeated broadsides against the media.

The Prince of Wales spoke out against Princess Diana's treatment by photographers in the 2017 ITV documentary Diana: Our Mother, Her Life and Legacy, which marked the 20th anniversary of her death.

Video footage of his remarks has been viewed 185,000 times and received almost 14,000 likes on TikTok after being posted with the message: "This broke my heart."

The clip emerged in the run-up to August 31, 2023, the 26th anniversary of Diana's death from injuries sustained in a Paris car crash.

In the footage, William said: "I think it was an industry that lost its way quite heavily, lost its sense of decency, lost its perspective on what was appropriate.

"If you are the Princess of Wales and you're a mother, I don't believe being chased by 30 guys on motorbikes who block your path, who spit at you, who shout at you and who react really badly to get a reaction from you, and make a woman cry in public to get photographs, I don't believe that was appropriate."

William's comments referenced the behavior of photographers during his mother's lifetime: "I think looking back 20 years ago, people would be appalled if they knew exactly what went on."

Harry has spoken at length about the actions of the paparazzi, including in his book Spare and his Netflix documentary, and in relation to the present day as well as the past.

Harry and Meghan Markle also issued a strongly worded statement in May accusing photographers in New York of causing a "near catastrophic" car chase after an awards gala at Ziegfeld Ballroom.

William has said far less than Harry about the actions of photographers in his adult life, though footage did emerge on YouTube in 2022 of him shouting at a photographer who had disturbed his family while they were out on a bike ride in Sandringham, near their Norfolk country home.

There was also an incident in 2014 when Kensington Palace issued a broadside against a photographer who had been spotted photographing Prince George, then aged 1, in a public park with his nanny.

At the time, a spokesperson for William and Kate Middleton said: "The Duke and Duchess have taken legal steps to ask that an individual ceases harassing and following both Prince George and his nanny as they go about their ordinary daily lives.

"An incident last week has prompted their royal highnesses to seek reasonable assurances from the individual about his behavior.

"The individual was spotted at a central London park in the vicinity of Prince George, who was removed from the park immediately.

"There is reason to suspect that the individual may have been placing Prince George under surveillance and monitoring his daily routines for a period of time.

"The Duke and Duchess understand the particular public role that Prince George will one day inherit, but, while he is young, he must be permitted to lead as ordinary a life as possible.

"No parent would tolerate the suspicion of someone pursuing and harassing their child and carer whilst their child is playing in a public park or going about their daily activities."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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