Hit or Miss? Royal couple sue French magazine over topless pictures of Kate

The palace is now taking legal action against the French magazine while the royal couple continue to tour the Far East and South Pacific.

HOW I SEE IT

Gavin Devine, Chief executive, MHP Communications

William and Kate (and their advisers) have done a good job of keeping the UK media sweet, so coverage of this story at home has been supportive and sympathetic. The resounding line from the British press is that the young couple deserve their right to privacy - and that only a European paparazzo would ever stoop to such levels of sleaze.

The legal response has been over the top - but rightly so: how else could St James' Palace react? With Kate now having more selling power than any global celebrity, the palace has used this episode to define the limits of what is, and what isn't, acceptable to publish about her.

On this occasion, the robust response has turned this into a media process story - rather than an inquisition into royal decorum - which is, at least, a grown-up debate.

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