harassing Prince George and using “increasingly dangerous” tactics to get pictures of the royal toddler.
In an unusually strongly worded open letter, Jason Knauf, the communications secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, said the tactics used by some photographers were creating a “very real security risk”.
Detailing a catalogue of recent intrusions into the family’s privacy, he said photographers had recently been discovered hiding in car boots and sand dunes as they staked out the royals.
He even claimed they used other young children as bait to draw the prince into view while he was playing outside.
Knauf said the two-year-old, who is third in line to the throne, has become the “number one target” for some unscrupulous photographers.
And while he thanked British media organisations for refusing to publish unauthorised photos of the prince and his three-month-old sister Charlotte, he warned that “a handful of international media titles” are still willing to pay for them.
As well as creating a “very real security risk”, he said their actions had left the Duke and Duchess “concerned about their ability to provide a childhood for Prince George and Princess Charlotte that is free from harassment and surveillance”.
Knauf said these tactics were “reminiscent” of past surveillance by terrorist groups and hinted that the photographers themselves may be at risk if royal bodyguards are unable to distinguish between paparazzi and would-be assassins.
He said: “It is of course upsetting that such tactics – reminiscent as they are of past surveillance by groups intent on doing more than capturing images – are being deployed to profit from the image of a two-year-old boy.
“In a heightened security environment such tactics are a risk to all involved.
“The worry is that it will not always be possible to quickly distinguish between someone taking photos and someone intending to do more immediate harm.”
The letter documented other recent incidents, including surveillance of the Berkshire home of the Duchess’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton, hiding in sand-dunes to take photos of Prince George playing on the beach with his grandmother, hiding on private property in fields and woodland around the Duke and Duchess’s home in Norfolk, using long lenses to monitor the prince’s movement around London parks with his nanny and pursuing cars leaving family homes.
Knauf said that photographers had even “used other children to draw Prince George into view around playgrounds”.
He said the intrusions had caused “deep unease” to the Duke and Duchess, particularly as they only learned they had been followed days later when the photographs emerged.
Knauf added: “The Duke and Duchess are of course very fortunate to have private homes where photographers cannot capture images of their children.
“But they feel strongly that both Prince George and Princess Charlotte should not grow up exclusively behind palace gates and in walled gardens.
“They want both children to be free to play in public and semi-public spaces with other children without being photographed.”
In the letter, Knauf said the royal couple had “expressed their gratitude to British media organisations for their policy of not publishing unauthorised photos of their children”.
He added: “They are pleased also that almost all reputable publications throughout the Commonwealth – in particular Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – and in other major media markets like the United States have adopted a similar position.”
He said the couple “have been delighted to share official photographs of Prince George and Princess Charlotte in recent months to thank the public for the thousands of kind messages of support they have received. “News photographers have had several recent opportunities to take photos of the family and these will be a regular occurrence as both children get older.”
However, he criticised the “handful of international media titles” who are still willing to pay for unauthorised photos and threatened further legal action against them. He said: “It is clear that while paparazzi are always keen to capture images of any senior member of the royal family, Prince George is currently their number one target. “We have made the decision to discuss these issues now as the incidents are becoming more frequent and the tactics more alarming. A line has been crossed and any further escalation in tactics would represent a very real security risk.”
Although it is not the first time royal officials have complained about media intrusion, they have rarely gone into so much detail.
Last year, when the Duke and Duchess believed their son had been harassed during a trip with his nanny to Battersea Park their lawyers warned the photographer to stop “following” the toddler prince.
Knauf said the palace was continuing to take such legal action. But he added: “We are aware that many people who read and enjoy the publications that fuel the market for unauthorised photos of children do not know about the unacceptable circumstances behind what are often lovely images.
“The use of these photos is usually dressed up with fun, positive language about the ‘cute’, ‘adorable’ photos and happy write ups about the family. We feel readers deserve to understand the tactics deployed to obtain these pictures.
“We hope a public discussion of these issues will help all publishers of unauthorised photos of children to understand the power they hold to starve this disturbing activity of funding.”
In a statement issued later, the Metropolitan police, whose officers guard members of the royal family, said photographers were “potentially putting themselves at risk from armed intervention”.
The force said: “The covert actions of photographers have at times caused concerns during police protection operations when they have been considered a possible security threat.
“Our role is to maintain security and there is a risk to those who choose to use covert tactics when a police operation is in place.
“At a time when the national security threat level from international terrorism is at severe, all officers are at a heightened level of readiness.
“Officers involved in the security of protected people are armed and have to constantly assess security risks.
“Photographers using covert tactics often come to the attention of armed officers who take steps to stop and verify the details of those who raise suspicions.
“Photographers are potentially putting themselves at risk from armed intervention where our armed officers perceive a risk to the personal safety of their principal, the public and themselves.
“When assessing potential threats armed officers have to make split second decisions regarding their use of force in order to protect their principals, the public and their colleagues.
“Whilst the majority of photographers work responsibly we would ask those that choose to use covert tactics to consider their actions in light of this potential risk.”
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