As Prince William and Kate Middleton rekindle their relationship – and the press whets the public’s appetite for a fairytale romance – an unresolved conundrum faces this nation once again. Do our future monarch and potential queen have a right of privacy beyond that of lesser celebrities? Or do the privileges that the prince enjoys have to be paid for in a currency of relentless exposure that puts huge pressure on a relationship? The questions, as we were reminded last week, cannot be distentangled from the fate of William’s mother.

The prince did not appear to have the opening of the inquest into her death on his mind when he emerged late one night last week from Boujis nightclub in London with Miss Middleton. They had clearly been enjoying themselves: he was dishevelled, she was in a cheerful mood. They were photographed without incident, got into their car and were driven away. Next morning, however, the prince’s spokesman complained vigorously about paparazzi who had pursued the car. A palace source described the incident as “threatening” and implicitly invoked Diana’s death as a reminder of what it might lead to.

In fact, William enjoys greater protection than his mother did. Press self-regulation has become tighter in the decade since she was killed. The Human Rights Act has created a right to privacy that did not exist 10 years ago. And, as a future king, William is given the security screen – including highly competent drivers – that his mother so tragically refused to accept.

If William is minded to seek an even more protected status, he should note events in Spain, where a cartoonist is being prosecuted for insulting the royal family. The result? The royal family’s popularity is plunging. This is not to say that the prince and his girlfriend should be fair game for the paparazzi. There is enormous public interest in their relationship, but the public understands restraint even if some photographers do not. Let common sense prevail: give William and Kate a break. Snap them but don’t hunt them.