Can The Royals Finally Stop Running?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 14 Oct 2007 12:12 PM The British press is reporting that Prince William recently whisked girlfriend Kate Middleton to the scene of some of their first dates--the Highlands of Scotland. William and Kate are reportedly staying at Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral estate where they are said to be engaging in their favorite field sports. It's not earth-shattering news, but there are two points that intrigued me about the story. First, the young couple reportedly flew from London to Scotland on a British Airways flight and did not accept any special treatment. Which meant they were offered the same in-flight snack as all the other passengers--a choice of a tuna or chicken sandwich. (No word on whether either of them ate the sandwiches.) However, a local newspaper says William and Kate were allowed to exit the plane first, and upon disembarking the future King of England reportedly took the wheel of an awaiting Range Rover and drove away. Which brings me to my second point. The paper is reporting that no one tried to follow the couple once they were in their vehicle---not a single photographer. SHOCKING! Shocking because any public appearance the heir to the British throne makes is usually captured by a swarm of paparazzi. Add to that a chance to shoot William with his girlfriend with whom he broke up after rumors of impending nuptials and you think there would be a flurry of photographers documenting their every move. It begs the question: Could the press finally be giving the royal family a break? It's been ten years since William's mom Princess Diana made a fateful mad dash through the streets of Paris pursued by paparazzi on motorbikes. Since then a growing number of newspaper editors say they are adopting the view that even royals have a right to some privacy, and the Princess Diana inquest has brought the issue of the consequences into focus. So is the paparazzi's pursuit of Diana's offspring less aggressive? I have to say that I haven't seen much news footage of camera crews actively pursuing vehicles that contain Prince William or his brother Prince Harry. The prince's spokesman told one British newspaper that William and Harry expect to be photographed around town, but they don't expect to be pursued by people on foot, or in vehicles or motorcycles, which they consider very dangerous. I guess they should know better than anyone. Do you think that the British press has lightened up on William and Harry? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments Samual (11722) 18 May 2008 02:29 PMI personally don't think they have at all, especially when you can pick up the daily paper and there is an article claiming Princess Diana was a huge cheating slag. Where I live we often have Royalty present, the last time the Princes were here there were vans and cars following them full of photographers and many stayed all night outside their manor house. A while ago someone actually followed them in a car around a shooting range to take photographs.  Michele Cheplic |
Popular Culture categories |
