The photographers who clashed with Prince Harry outside the Pangaea nightclub in London were not members of the British Press Photographers Association (BPPA).
But the organisation has spoken up for the right of photographers to do their job without being attacked.
Photographer Paul Stewart, speaking on behalf of the BPPA, said: “None of the photographers are BPPA members and we cannot comment as to whether they were acting within the code of conduct. But anybody, whoever they are, has the right to work without being assaulted.”
The view of many professional photographers is that digital cameras are allowing amateurs to get publishable pictures of celebrities but they are overcrowding the market.
One photographer said: “Daddy buys them a digital camera and they think they can earn a fortune but it is just not true, there are too many of them. The Harry pictures were sellable because of the bust-up with the photographers.
“If Harry had just posed for a few minutes, the photographers would have gone away and the picture would probably never have been used.”
Following the fracas, the pictures were said to be worth £10,000 a set.
They made the front pages of most of the nationals, with coverage inside, even though many papers condemned the photographers as paparazzi.
By Jon Slattery
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