Kensington Palace ask for privacy for Prince George after photographers

The letter adds: “It is upsetting that such tactics are being deployed to profit from the image of a two-year-old boy”.

They also warned a photographer could end up getting mistaken for a security threat and shot.

“Officers involved in the security of protected people are armed and have to constantly assess security risks”.

William and Kate have taken the unprecedented step of asking the paparazzi to leave their children alone, after a number of disturbing incidents.

“Yet undercover paparazzi continue to pursue their children, selling images of Prince George to global publications”.

“They do make available some pictures so we can all see and share in the joy they’ve got with their children but they should not be harassed by paparazzi”.

“But they know every parent would object to anyone – particularly strangers – taking photos of their children without their permission”.

“Every parent would understand their deep unease at only learning they had been followed and watched days later when photographs emerged”, the letter said.

“The Duke and Duchess are of course very fortunate to have private homes where photographers can not capture images of their children”.

The royal couple guards the privacy of their children closely and George has only appeared in public five times, most recently at the christening of his younger sister Charlotte last month.

In a strongly-worded letter, the Royal couple’s press secretary, Jason Knauf, said the two-year-old prince had become the “number one target”.

The Duke and Duchess also ask for those who purchase magazines featuring these candid photos of their son, to consider how they were taken.

Mr Knauf said the palace was continuing to take such legal action.

“The use of these photos is usually dressed up with fun, positive language about the “cute”, “adorable” photos and happy write-ups about the family”.

“What we need to do now is to persuade some of these foreign publications not to use these pictures”.

To help create a public discussion of these issues the letter has been placed in the public domain.

The Duke has always believed that paparazzi photographers in Paris were ultimately responsible for his mother’s death in 1997.

Other incidents detailed include multiple attempts to snap the prince in private parks, the monitoring of the movements of the prince and his nanny, the tailing of family vehicles and the use other children to draw George into view around playgrounds.