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November 5, 2013updated 06 Nov 2013 2:16pm

Royal Family urges press to stop ‘pursuit and harassment’ of royals outside official duties

By Darren Boyle

The Royal Family has written to UK newspaper editors asking them not to publish photographs of the monarchy outside their official duties.

This follows an email from Clarence House asking for the removal of photographs of Prince Harry on a recent trip to Nandos.

The images, taken inside the restaurant were picked up by the Mail Online and the Daily Mirror. However, following the intervention of palace officials both publications removed the photographs.

The note to editors said an increasing number of photographs are being taken and result in “pursuit and harassment”.

The memo said even members of the Royal Family have an expectation of privacy in a public place. It is claimed the pursuit by photographers causes considerable upset.

It is understood that police protection officers have regularly intervened on behalf of members of the Royal Family asking photographers to cease following the royal in question.

The royal communication asks editors to reacquaint themselves with the industry’s own guidelines on when and where a photograph can be taken.

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The Editor's Code of Practice states: "It is unacceptable to photograph individuals in private places without their consent…Private places are public or private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy."

Prince Harry was forced to apologise after the Sun published photographs of him wearing a German Nazi uniform while the News of the World published a video of him allegedly making a racist comment to a fellow soldier. 

He later was involved in more controversy after the website TMZ obtained photographs of him naked in a Las Vegas hotel room. 

The photographs were later republished by the Sun. 

His sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, was herself photographed topless by a French photographer while on holiday with her husband. 

The images went around the world, although the grainy pictures were only published by the Irish Daily Star in Britain or Ireland. 

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