Prince William's girlfriend prepares to fight paparazzi photographers

Photographers snapping Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton found themselves the focus of attention Monday, after her lawyers said they have collected video footage of them ahead of any possible harassment claims.

Photo: Prince William's girlfriend prepares to fight paparazzi photographers

Middleton, who turned 25 last week, has been the subject of intense media focus recently after rumors of an impending betrothal to long-term boyfriend William - who is second-in-line to the British throne - started circulating.

Pictures of the fashion buyer have been splashed across the country's sensation hungry newspapers, while photographers remained camped outside her house in the upmarket London district of Chelsea and outside her office.

Middleton's lawyers issued a request to newspaper editors asking them to take more care in their coverage of her, but have prepared a dossier of video footage ahead of any possible harassment claims.

"We have received a letter from her lawyers and we'll be sending it to people in the industry," said Tim Toulmin, director of the Press Complaints Commission - the country's media watchdog.

Toulmin said the letter made reference to video evidence but he had yet to see it.

The Telegraph newspaper said it had seen a copy of the letter, and that the video footage included incidents outside her home and office, and when she arrived at and left nightclubs both with and without the prince.

"The intrusion into my client's private life and the harassment that she has suffered are now amply evidenced by the events of the past seven days," the paper reported the letter as saying.

"We have a large amount of very interesting but disturbing film footage of those events ... What I should make quite clear is that if there is any further intrusion, then a complaint will be made to you."

Toulmin said that Middleton's representatives accepted that there would be times she would be the focus of media attention but felt that constant coverage was unfair.

"She has said that while she is not with William in public and going about her daily business there is no development or public interest in the story," he said. "She has made it clear she doesn't want to be followed."

Toulmin added that earlier appeals for calm seem to have worked, saying, "as far as I know the paparazzi aren't following her around anymore."

News International, which owns The Sun and The Times newspapers announced last week that their titles would not use paparazzi shots of Middleton, the AP says.

The focus on Middleton has been compared to that on William's late mother Diana. From before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 to her death in a 1997 Paris crash, she was routinely followed by picture hungry paparazzi.

Middleton's lawyer, Gerrard Tyrell, was not available for comment.