目前，23岁的英国威廉王子正在考虑通过法律手段保护其女友凯特·米德尔顿的私生活。王子决心要全力确保女友的正常生活和工作不受到狗仔队的困扰。

    据英国《每日电讯》12月4日报道，在“王子女友找工作”的照片传开后不久，王子女友与其母购物时又再次被偷拍。这次，终于激怒王子亲自出面保护女友。目前，威廉王子正在对个人隐私权相关法律条文做了深入研究。他表示，如果女友私生活继续被打扰，他将要求律师到欧洲人权法庭追究狗仔队的法律责任。

    今年秋天，米德尔顿小姐在前往求职应聘的途中，于伦敦的一辆公交车上被偷拍。就在“王子女友找工作”的照片传开后，威廉王子和女友父亲迈克尔·米德尔顿共同商讨了对策。10月，“哈博特尔和李维斯事务所”代表米德尔顿先生将律师函发至英国各媒体手中，要求媒体保护米德尔顿小姐的私生活，并质疑一些媒体违反了英国媒体投诉委员会保护王子私生活不被曝光的协议。 然而，11月，米德尔顿小姐与母亲在伦敦购物又一次被偷拍。

    王室成员隐私一直都是英国媒体炒作的对象。1997年，威廉王子之母、已故王妃戴安娜正是为逃避狗仔队的追赶而遭车祸身亡。据威廉王子的好友透露，王子很钟情自己的女友，他深感米德尔顿小姐未来的幸福以及他们两人的关系能否继续，关键在于米德尔顿的私生活是否能得到保护。与威廉王子同岁的米德尔顿小姐也是圣安德鲁大学的学生。两人之间的关系已经维持了两年，并一直被人看好，据悉米德尔顿小姐已经受到过女王的接见。 面对心仪女孩的生活可能因自己的特殊身份受到困扰，王子准备打一场积极的“女友保卫战”，这也是他效仿摩纳哥公主卡洛琳把狗仔队告上欧洲人权法庭的做法。

    今年7月，欧洲人权法庭裁决德国政府因未能阻止新闻媒体侵犯摩纳哥公主卡洛琳的隐私权，需向她支付10万欧元的赔偿金，并承担10.5万欧元的诉讼及其他费用。卡洛琳公主现年48岁，是摩纳哥亲王兰尼埃和美国好莱坞影星格雷丝·凯利的女儿。由于多家德国小报不断公布其家人照片，卡洛琳不得不向德国法庭提出起诉。

    Prince William is personally masterminding attempts to ensure that his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, can pursue a "normal" life and career away from the prying lenses of the paparazzi.

    The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the prince has mastered complex privacy laws and may ask lawyers to go to the European Court of Human Rights if the situation worsens.

    According to his friends, Prince William feels that Miss Middleton's future happiness and the survival of their relationship depend on protecting her from overly-intrusive photographers.

    The prince, 23, held discussions with Miss Middleton's millionaire father, Michael, over publication of photographs in the autumn of her on a London bus going for a job interview.

    Last month, Miss Middleton was again photographed in London, shopping with her mother, Carole.

    It is understood that the prince and Mr Middleton were behind the decision in October to send a solicitors' letter to newspapers requesting that details of her private life remain private.

    The letter, from Harbottle & Lewis, who act for Miss Middleton and advise the prince on media matters, also questioned whether some photographers had breached guidelines from the Press Complaints Commission, the media watchdog.

    The prince has been briefed on privacy issues by Paddy Harverson, his father's communications secretary. If necessary, Mr Harverson, in turn, consults Gerrard Tyrrell, also of Harbottle & Lewis, Prince Charles's media lawyer.

    Friends of Prince William say he is devoted to Miss Middleton. The relationship is considered so serious that she is reported to have met the Queen. One courtier said: "There is no big issue at the moment because the level of intrusion has calmed down. But this is something Prince William is concerned about. He has learnt from his own experiences but he has always had concerns for others who have suffered intrusion solely because of their links to him."

    The Sunday Telegraph understands that Prince William wanted to know the implications for his girlfriend of the landmark ruling won by Princess Caroline of Monaco last year in the Strasbourg court.

    The ruling, after years of harassment by the paparazzi, prevented the German press from publishing photographs or her and her children. The court said the German courts had failed to prevent her privacy being violated.

    Prince William and Miss Middleton, also 23, were students at St Andrews University. They have been going out together for two years and shared a property while studying.

    During his time at St Andrews the prince was protected from intrusion under a deal between Clarence House, the PCC and newspaper editors. Britain has no simple privacy law, although the public has rights under trespass and other laws.

    Friends say Prince William was wary of the media even before his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris while fleeing photographers.

    In 1996 the Prince of Wales spearheaded moves to restrict media access at Balmoral because his son had become reluctant to go there after previous intrusions.

    A PCC spokesman said yesterday: "Neither Prince William nor Kate Middleton enjoy any special protection. However, our Code of Practice is for everyone and they are entitled to lodge a complaint under it like anyone else."