Predatory paparazzi pursue Princess Di

Press, 30 November 1987, Page 7

Predatory paparazzi pursue Princess Di

By

JOHN COOMBER,

of AAP (through NZPA) London

Dressed in black leathers and patrolling the streets of London on 1000 cu cm motor-cycles, they relentlessly pursue and corner their prey, trigger fingers poised, waiting for a clear line of sight. There Is a flash of light and the “kill” is made — the moment perfectly caught in the lenses of the paparazzi. They are the new breed of predator photographers, and their favourite quarry is Di, the Princess of Wales. The paparazzi — named after a particularly avaricious photographer in the 1960 s film “La Dolce Vita” — make their living by cornering the famous and selling the pictures to racy tabloids and magazines. If their subject is in a compromising position, so much the better. The prime targets are gossip column regulars such as Joan Collins, Elton John, Liz Taylor, Madonna, and above all, the future Queen of England. The 26-year-old former London kindergarten teacher may already be the world’s most photographed woman, but the appetite for pictures of her is undiminished, particularly with persistent press speculation that her marriage to Prince Charles is in trouble. Earlier this month one of the paparazzi, 22-year-old Jason Fraser, was certain he had the scoop of the year when he snapped the Princess leaving a private dinner party in the fashionable London suburb of Kensington. Her companion was a cavalry guardsman, Major David Waterhouse. But Fraser’s film never saw a darkroom. He agreed to give it up after he was pinned against a wall by the Princess’s private detective. Newspapers here said the Princess begged him in tears to surrender the film. In a rare comment, Buckingham Palace said after the Incident that It was increasingly concerned about freelance photographers persecuting the Royal Family. Princess of Wales

has been tailed for some time now, but it has stepped up in the last six weeks,” a Palace spokesman said. “There is considerable concern. It is also a matter of security.”

However, the photographers, who would expect to collect several thousand pounds for such photographs, deny that they are jeopardising the Royal Family’s security. According to one photographer the Royal Family functions “like a clock,” with all engagements signalled well in advance. The photographers say their methods demonstrate the flaws in Royal security rather than jeopardise it. Others deny charges of spying and persecution. *1 would not regard anything I take as upsetting or compromising/ said Julian Parker, aged 25.

“I like to take pictures which serve to point out that they are just like anybody else. It doesn’t do the Royal Family any harm.”

Editors who pay large sums for such pictures are similarly unrepentant.

“Celebrities are public property,” said Wendy Henry, editor of the News of the World, to whom Fraser sold his story about the Kensington encounter with Princess Diana and her detective. Others doubt whether the detective had any right to demand Fraser’s film. The photographer had broken no law and took his photograph in a public place. Among his peers he is thought to have made one big mistake — he got caught.