Prince William Reveals Shocking Extent Of Press Intrusion On Princess Diana

Prince William is known for being fiercely private and protective of his young family, and last night's Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy programme on ITV, went some way to explaining, in more detail than ever before, why.

The media intrusion and scrutiny that the late Princess of Wales faced is well known, but only we've only recently had a real insight into how the disruption has affected the Duke of Cambridge, who was just 15 when she passed away.

In ITV's programme on Diana, clips of the Princess battling her way past paparazzi were shown, with one in particular showing her pleading with a paparazzi to leave her and her children alone while on holiday. During the show, the Duke of Cambridge did not hesitate to show his contempt for the industry at the time.

He said, "Back then, 20 years ago, people would be utterly appalled if they knew what went on.

"I think it was an industry that lost its way quite heavily. Lost its sense of decency, lost its perspective on what was appropriate."

"You are the Princess of Wales, you are a mother. I don't believe being chased by 30 guys on motorbikes who block your path, who spit at you, who shout at you, and who react really badly to get a reaction from you, and make a woman cry in public to get the photographs, I don't believe that is appropriate.

"I certainly remember most of the time she cried about anything was about press intrusion. Her and I, we lived through that. And once lesson I've learnt is that you never let them in too far, because it's very difficult to get them back out again. And you've got to maintain a barrier and a boundary, and if you cross it - if both sides cross it - a lot of pain and problems can come from it."

The severity of the press intrusion on the late Princess explains in greater detail just why Prince William is so keen to maintain a level of privacy and security for his family, Catherine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

In the past, he's been instrumental in keeping photographers and members of the media away from the Duchess of Cambridge, and has maintained a relatively secluded life at Amner Hall in Norfolk, in order to give his family the most privacy possible.

Despite the fact that he and Catherine and the children will soon be moving back to London - a location that comes with a much larger media presence - Prince William has insisted on several measures in order to uphold a level of privacy, such as a hedge around the edge of Kensington Palace, and the banning of press from private family outings.