Buckingham Palace Goads the Paps
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
MAMMA'S BOY William, Middleton, and the shot in question
If Buckingham Palace's goal in releasing a public complaint about the paparazzi's pursuit of Prince William and Kate Middleton was to get them to back off, they've failed miserably, an expert with years in the celebrity photo biz says.
And if the high-speed pursuit for the photos raises comparisons to Diana's death, says Jeff Kravitz, president of popular celebrity photo company filmmaggic.com, "That just kicks it up an entire notch."
He adds, "He is the future king of England! Of course everybody wants to know where he's sticking his willy." Indeed, since Prince Harry is "dead" this week, he's paved the way for some paparazzi attention for boring older bro and his maybe-fiancée, who've reportedly reconciled this summer. With their jaunt to cheesy London nightclub Boujis last night, they willingly stepped back into the limelight. The initial shots of them exiting the club, visibly sloshed and looking merry, are probably as much of a public announcement that the pair are back on as the public is likely to get. Then came the supposed car chase.
So why not, if you're speaking for Clarence House, diffuse the situation by releasing some official photos of Wills with Middleton looking sober and demure? Or for that matter, encourage them to stick to private dinner parties at the palace? That would take away all the buzz over the young Royal and his girlfriend, says Kravitz. "Everybody wants to see the pics of them fleeing that night. It's not really a story if the two of them stop and pose."
Another development out of the hard-earned paps shots: "Bookmakers Ladbrokes have now slashed the odds on the couple marrying by 2010 from 10/1 to 1/2," the UK's Metro reports.