British photogs told to leave royals alone

LONDON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The British royal family wants intrusive photographers to back off and stop using long lenses to catch the royals in private moments, officials said Saturday.

Aides to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles told The Daily Telegraph the royals plan to use British privacy laws to pursue paparazzi, even if they avoid trespassing on royal property. In the past, they have ignored photographs taken from public roads around the estates of Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in Scotland.

A solicitor has reportedly been instructed to begin legal action if photographers stray from the rules.

The queen spends Christmas at Sandringham with her husband, children and grandchildren, so the new policy will get a quick test. Several freelance photographers typically haunt the area when she is in residence, hoping for material.

Some candid long-lens pictures snatched by photographers have become fodder for anti-hunting and animal rights groups. Those include photographs of the queen giving the coup de grace to birds -- one showed her wringing a pheasant's neck -- and a snapshot of Prince Edward, her youngest son, apparently hitting a dog with a stick.