Woman Who Snapped the Photo of Kate Middleton's Bare Bum Is Donating Proceeds of Picture Sale to Charity

Amateur shutterbug who apparently sold the pic to a German tabloid says she planned from the get-go to give the money to bushfire relief

By Natalie Finn May 30, 2014 8:21 PMTags
Prince William, Kate MiddletonStefan Postles/Getty Images

The woman who snapped a photo of Kate Middleton's bare backside while the royal was touring Australia's Blue Mountains says that she was as surprised as anyone once she took a peek at her memory card and realized what was on there.

And she claims that she knew from the get-go that she wouldn't just sit on that proverbial gold mine.

"It wasn't until I got home and I popped my camera card into the computer that I realised what I had captured," Diane Morel, a travel agent and suddenly famous amateur shutterbug, told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

"Kate and William spent so much time speaking to the victims of the bushfires that I decided I would donate any money raised from the sale of the photo to the Blue Mountains Bushfire Mayoral Relief Fund," Morel said.

The German tabloid Bild went and published the cheeky pic, prompting a fair amount of outrage at the unnecessary nature of such things, but also the usual delight from some corners at a royal being caught in an all-too-human moment. 

In fact, an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph wondered why the tabloid was expected to maintain a certain level of decency if the Duchess of Cambridge "can't be ­bothered protecting herself by having hem weights sewn into her garments"?

Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Morel was snapping pictures of Kate and Prince William during their visit with emergency workers and residents affected by the Blue Mountain bush fires in 2013 when a blast of wind from their awaiting helicopter sent the duchess' Diane von Furstenburg ikat-batik printed wrap dress flying.

The palace had no comment on Bild's decision to run the photo.