Kate 'settles' harassment complaint

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said the announcement by her lawyers resulted from the newspaper's "prompt public expression of regret and admission of error".

The 25-year-old made her first official complaint to the press watchdog after the paper used a photograph of her on her way to work.

Richard Wallace, editor of the Daily Mirror, said: "We welcome Miss Middleton's decision."

The PCC took the opportunity to issue a warning over her treatment. "Kate Middleton has made repeatedly clear to the press - through the Commission, to photographers, and to editors directly - that she objects to being followed by photographers when she is on her own going about her daily business and there is no specific public interest reason for following her," the watchdog said.

It added that it wanted to remind editors of the need to refrain from using photos when the subject has asked the photographer to stop taking pictures and when there is no obvious public interest for persisting.

A statement from the PCC said: "Lawyers for Kate Middleton have informed the Press Complaints Commission that her complaint about the Daily Mirror has been settled following the newspaper's prompt public expression of regret and admission of error. This came after the Commission began a formal investigation into the complaint that a photograph published in the paper had been taken in circumstances that amounted to harassment."

Miss Middleton made her official complaint to the PCC last week, alleging there had been a breach of Clause 4 (Harassment) of the PCC's code of practice.

The image, which showed her carrying car keys and a takeaway coffee cup, was believed to be the first picture used by a newspaper of her on her way to work since she encountered a media scrum outside her flat on her birthday in January.

The next day the Daily Mirror admitted: "We got it wrong and we sincerely regret that."