Is it acceptable to publish photographs of Duchess Catherine's bottom?

The Duchess of Cambridge’s bottom is currently all over German newspaper Bild. In the image in question, a gust of wind has ripped up the Duchess’ skirt, revealing her seemingly completely bare behind.

Some of us are outraged that Duchess Catherine won’t show solidarity with the common people by wearing control knickers after having had a baby (what, she thinks she’s better than us?).

But for the rest, the question is more about whether or not the photographs should have been published at all.

The picture was taken by Diane Morel, an Australian hobby photographer, who snapped the offending image in the Blue Mountains, on the royal family’s recent trip down under. Bild is reporting that Morel had no idea she’d captured the royal rump until she went through the photographs on her memory card, well after the visit had finished. When she made the discovery, she did what any enterprising photographer would do and sold the snaps to a tabloid.

Bild, doing what many enterprising publications would do, bought the snaps and padded out the new images with older photographs of the Duchess’ rear, taken in other wind-related wardrobe malfunctions, alongside a series of celebrity ‘belfies’ from the likes of Kim Kardashian, and other pap butt photos.

Bild (which translates as Picture) is basically Germany’s Daily Mail, so embarrassing bottom shots are stock in trade for the publication.

But this no regular bottom photograph. This is a Royal bottom photograph. Cue other tabloids leaping to the Duchess’ defence.

“No British magazine or newspaper would publish them so they were sold overseas in a move that will deeply dismay Prince William and Kate,” said The Mirror, pearls firmly clutched, just one day after they’d posting a series of paparazzi shots taken of Nicole Scherzinger, in a bikini, on her yacht in Monte Carlo.

Meanwhile, The Courier Mail, who have a 90 page gallery of the ‘worst celebrity wardrobe malfunctions’, are reporting that “Royalists are up in arms.”

Was it okay for Bild to publish the photographs? That depends. If the same thing happened to Julia Roberts would it be okay to publish those? Is it okay to publish a photograph anyone in an intimate moment, without their consent?

I’m not going to tell you where you should stand on that one, but I will say I don’t think the royals should be afforded any super-human respect purely because of their bloodline.

That might be proof I’m not a monarchist, but when it comes to pap-shots, I don’t think there should be one rule for Cate Blanchett, one for Duchess Catherine and another for Katie who lives down the road. Either all our butts are fair game, or none of them are.

Here are some of the paparazzi shots from Duchess Catherine’s visit, that didn’t angle for her bare bottom… 

What do you think? Was it okay for Bild to publish the photograph?