Prince William and his family were filmed out on a bike ride on Saturday, and the video has gone viral on social media. Prince William apparently confronted a photographer who the royal family says he violated their privacy. In spite of attempts to have the video removed, it has now been viewed tens of thousands of times across various platforms.
The video shows 40-year-old Prince William confronting the photographer and scolding him for filming his family. In the clip, he seems to believe the photographer works for a media outlet – perhaps the paparazzi – saying things like, “I thought you guys had learned by now.” The photographer apparently refused to give the prince his name and insisted that he had not sought them out. He claimed that he was just out for a walk in Sandringham, Norfolk himself.
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The video shows Prince William calling someone on his phone and saying: “Yeah, I need you here… I’ve had an altercation with a photographer, he’s filming me as I’m right next to him now.” He then seems to follow the photographer back to a road crossing where they can meet up with other people, while the photographer protests that he just wanted the family to pass by and leave him alone.
The Kensington Palace staff have reportedly tried to get this video removed, but so far even the original version remains up on YouTube. Clips and copies have circulated elsewhere on social media as well, including TikTok and Twitter. The royal family claims that this is an outright breach of their privacy, though some commenters say it should just be expected at this point in the digital age.
A report by The Telegraph notes that the British media follows an implicit set of unwritten rules when it comes to the royal family, but civilian photographers may not be familiar with all those nuances. The British press does not publish photos or videos of the royal family taken in private circumstances as the American media might do with a celebrity, and they are trained to be particularly private around children like Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Still, at a time when the vast majority of people carry a high-definition camera with the ability to publish anything instantaneously for the whole world to see, some critics say the royal family should accept the new reality they must live by out in public. So far YouTube has not commented on this controversy and the photographer has not come forward either.
