WHILE we accept there is public interest in what Prince William gets up to, one national newspaper has stepped over the boundaries of good taste in its coverage of his movements.

The newspaper set up a telephone hotline to encourage teenagers who had "snatched a kiss" with the future King to ring them.

Apparently, the 13-year-old Prince was at a party at the Hammersmith Palais in London when he kissed "a string of teenage girls".

Sensibly, Buckingham Palace have not made a formal complaint about the newspaper, but are rightly concerned about it.

A Palace spokesman considered the invitation to teenagers to ring up with tittle-tattle was against the letter and the spirit of the newspaper industry's code of practice.

We agree, and think that most people will think so too. Encouraging girls to kiss and tell on the teenage Prince is totally unacceptable.

Still on the subject of the royals, we welcome the announcement that they will pay their own air fairs when they are not on official business.

As Labour MP Alan Williams commented, it's about time this decision was taken.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.