Kate Middleton Hires John Galliano's Lawyer to Stop Spread of "Highly Intimate" Topless Photos

Prince William and his wife have filed suit in France against Closer magazine

By John Boone Sep 17, 2012 10:00 PMTags
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, John GallianoKevin Coombs - WPA Pool/Getty Images; Eric Ryan/Getty Images

Don't mess with the crown. At least, that's the message Kate Middleton and Prince William hope to send to France's Closer magazine, which published topless photos of Kate.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hired Aurélien Hamelle—who famously represented John Galliano when he was charged with spewing anti-Semitic slurs—to file a criminal complaint over the pics, seeking damages and an injunction against any further publication.

The photographs were, according to statements given by Hamelle in court, taken "in a highly intimate moment during a scene of married life and have no place on the cover of a magazine" before likening Middleton's media scrutiny to the paparazzi's "fatal hunt" of Princess Diana.

The court is supposed to rule on Kate and William's request for an injunction tomorrow morning, while the royal duo continue their Diamond Jubilee tour of Southeast Asia (which doubles as a second honeymoon of sorts).

As for the photographer who took the now-infamous pictures?

"Papers for the criminal complaint have been filed this morning in France," The Telegraph reports a St. James' Palace source revealed. "It is now up to the French prosecutors to decide whether to investigate and pursue the complaint."

Closer has not revealed the name of the identity of the photographer yet, a fact that person must be very grateful for. Because if the royals have their way, that particular person could face not only a fine, but jail time.

Sacre bleu, indeed!