EXPRESS IPRESS Daily The Daily Telegrapt Sun

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vying with the Sun for the occasionally steps out of every right wing sell- Pictures of the future King out merchant the labour and Queen cavorting on a But like gangland thugs largest lenses the Japanese who gob on the bosses' know how to make were carpet, the gutter press splashed across three most sexist copy in Fleet line. Street and building up movement throws up.

So it was in the Bahamas.

beach, taken with the pages each of the Star and the Sun.

The fuzzy pictures were claimed by their publishers as scoops, until they landed on the Queen's breakfast table. As you know we have a free press in this country, so her press secretary was perfectly free to ring every editor in Fleet Street with a royal rocket.

The papers had miscalculated. The princess five months pregnan Her doe therefore conform to the mandatory shape .of womanhood. The Sun and the Star are free to publish naked nobodies on page 3. But pregnancy can only be hinted at-not displayed. Thus the princess can have a 'maternal' look in her eye. She can be imbued with that 'indefinable bloom of the mum-to-be' She can even be said to be filling out.

But it is a well known convention that - royalty does not copulate, defaecate or have stomachs swollen with offspring.

Royalty does not take kindly to prose such as:

"Stunning mum-to-be Princess Diana plunged into the surf on her paradise island yesterday in a bikini"

Crassly

The Mirzor put crassly:

•'The Daily Mirror decided to respect their privacy. We are not in the business of taking sneak shots of pregnant women bathing. whether they are princesses or not." 1 Pregnancy should be heard about but Due seet.

about ite ASLEF the victit:

CUE SEEN Z = 05 = = 35255 which brught Ken Morgan, Secretary of the Press Council scurrying out of his cubbyhole to issue reproaches.

The Sun reprinted the photograph the next day but with a grovelling text:

"Of course it was never our intention to offend. If we have done so, then we are deeply sorry. (And here is the picture The Sun and the Star recalled their reporters and photographers to London.

The Star offered similar excuse:

'Our interest was out of deep affection for the Royal Couple. We were so pleased to see Diana enjoying herself freely on the beach that we thought our readers would want to share her joy." (If she had looked glum, of course, the pictures would have been published to show the Star's concern).

Milked

In any case both the Star and the Sun plead-as did Othello-that they have loved not wisely but too well.

The way in which the editors jump to do as thes are told, the Press Council explodes into action and questions are asked in the House of Commons shows who still has the power of veto over the press.

And the way in which the press is in danger of sufficating its fairy princess suggests that it will not ie satisfied with its piece : merchandise. until i it milked all the life ou of 1 Int thes Jess d: ester Panes.

Here se u