French tabloid will defend running tοpless pics of Kate Middleton — using Meghan Markle
Lawyers for a French tabloid will use Meghan Markle‘s celebrity past to try to get off the hook, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper the Telegraph.
Last year a court ruled that the French edition of the gossip magazine Closer should pay Kate Middleton and Prince William £92,000 (about $122,000) in damages as punishment for publishing paparazzi images of the duchess sunbathing tοpless in 2012.
Now the magazine’s legal counsel claims that the damages should be reduced on the grounds that it is “hypocritical” for the royal family to take issue with Kate’s racy images when her sister-in-law, newly minted Duchess of Sussex, has posed in a provocative fashion for magazines and campaigns during her acting career.
Sources told the Telegraph that lawyers will argue Wednesday that the royals are employing a double standard and will cite Meghan’s past promo work to support their claim. That includes a 2013 Men’s Health shoot in which she leans over a grill in shorts and a midriff-baring top.
“They’re happy with sexy photos when they’re in control but then demand huge amounts in compensation when the pictures are unauthorized,” a “legal source” told the Telegraph. “This is unwarranted and frankly hypocritical.”
It’s unclear if the argument — which doesn’t take Kate’s personal right to privacy into account — will hold water with the French court. Neither Kensington Palace nor Closer‘s lawyers, who are seeking a reduction in damages rather than an overturn of the 2017 verdict, have commented on the matter.
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