Press regulator orders Daily Mail to take action after flying helicopter over Prince Andrew's home
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has ordered the Daily Mail to take remedial action after the newspaper sent a helicopter over the grounds of Prince Andrew’s home to take photos of his daughter's birthday party.
The Daily Mail was deemed to have breached the privacy clause of the Editors' Code of Practice (Clause 3) when it flew the helicopter over the Duke of York's home on 19 June this year so that it could capture images Princess Eugenie’s 25th birthday preparations.
In countering the claims the Daily Mail maintained that it was in the public interest to publish the plans for a “lavish party” to celebrate the birthday of the eighth in line to the throne.
It also argued the flight was not a breach of privacy because the family were out of the house, making a public appearance at Royal Ascot. However IPSO ruled that as the grounds of Prince Andrew’s home, Royal Lodge, were neither accessible or visible to the public, he could still expect a reasonable amount of privacy.
After receiving a complaint from Prince Andrew, IPSO ordered the newspaper to publish its adjudication in print within the first 10 pages and online for a minimum of 12 hours.
The adjudication appeared on page 10 of the newspaper yesterday (4 December) and read: “In this instance, the helicopter’s flight over the private space of the grounds of the complainant’s home, designed to capture images of the preparations for the party, was clearly intrusive, regardless of the fact that the complainant was not at home at the time.
“The effect of such an intrusion was to deprive him of the security of a private space, in which he could engage in activities, away from the public gaze.”