Kate Middleton's family have contacted the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) to air concerns about possible harassment by photographers.
Her mother, Carole Middleton, and sister Pippa have been photographed in recent days out shopping in London.
Example: this picture, bylined Xclusive Pix, appeared in the Daily Mail under the headline Oh Carole! There's only one winner when you dress like your daughter.
According to a BBC story, the Middletons have been followed by agency photographers on foot and on mopeds.
The Middletons have not made an official complaint to the PCC, but the contact has prompted the commission to send an advisory note to newspaper and magazine editors reminding them of their obligations under the editors' code of practice.
One clause in the code states: "Journalists must not engage in intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit." However, the taking of pictures of people in public places is allowed.
A Press Association story quoted a St James's Palace spokesman as saying that the family had not made a formal PCC complaint:
"However, following some incidents of alleged harassment and pursuit by agencies and freelancers, the Middleton family, through the PCC, have sought to draw the attention of editors to their concerns.
"The Middleton family and St James's Palace remain grateful to editors for their restraint and adherence to the code over the past few months."
This is the first incidence of antagonism with the press to emerge in public ahead of Kate Middleton's marriage to Prince William on 29 April.
There have been previous occasions when she has turned to the PCC to curb attention by photographers.
Xclusive Pix is an agency "set up to aid photographers to gain maximum revenue from their images." Its website shows that it specialises in the marketing of paparazzi pictures.
Sources: PA/BBC/Daily Mail
