Wills and Kate – at play. Privacy and Privilege

Some women like to bathe sunbathe topless, some don’t. It’s a choice. In a public place which is where this occurs for us normal people, any woman choosing this option knows that she will be subject to the occasional surreptitious glance from most men in the vicinity: and  intrigued children. (The difference in maturity between the two groups may not be immediately apparent). The prettier she is, the more glances she’ll get. It goes with the territory. It’s a consequence of the choice.

Any woman whether because of personal modesty or professional sensitivity who doesn’t want to be seen or even photographed in this way is perfectly capable of preventing it: discreetly applying sun cream or covering up while changing – which is an amusing, slightly arcane art most of us normal men or women have perfected for beach use.

William and Kate’s supposed fury (I wonder if it is actually theirs) isn’t a claim to privacy, it’s a demand for privilege. This supposed incursion into their privacy was entirely self-induced; preventable with the barest (sic) minimum of common sense ordinary women on public beaches exercise every single day.

Royalty, like celebrity, breathes the oxygen of publicity and benefits from it. Hacking their phones is an invasion of their privacy:  taking pictures of them when they expose themselves, even to long-lenses is not. That they enjoy endless privileges from birth or marriage, not merit, does not entitle them to a privileged form of privacy not available to the rest of us.

Filed under: News, Television