Prince William once sent an angry letter to paparazzi to protect Kate

Sure, being a royal has its advantages – the fashion, the princes, the tiaras, the castles – but it definitely also has its drawbacks, from the end of privacy to the dreaded rumour mill.

No one knows this more than Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales and recently dubbed the "leader" of the royal family. 

Now a national treasure, it's no surprise that the Princess of Wales has to fight for her privacy, but upon closer inspection, Kate has been a paparazzi target since joining the royal fold, and long before Prince William popped the question.

In fact, news resurfaced this month from 2007 when Prince William was forced to step in on Kate Middleton’s behalf to protect his girlfriend's privacy.

According to 2011 documentary, Chasing the Royals, Kate was particularly hounded by the paparazzi in 2007 on her 25th birthday, something that is said to have upset Prince William.

There were rumours that William would be proposing to Kate and it was thought that approximately 30 paparazzi were waiting outside her Chelsea flat to get a statement. Her car was reportedly blocked and camera lenses were within a foot of her face.

"An angry Prince William issued a statement to the press to stop harassing his girlfriend," the documentary explained.

"Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend," read the statement on behalf of William. "He wants, more than anything, for it to stop. Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual, be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion."

The statement concluded: "The situation is proving unbearable for all those concerned."

This wasn’t the first time that Prince William stepped in on Kate Middleton’s behalf, with William reportedly sending a letter to a newspaper after it published a photograph of Kate on a bus in 2005.

We're hoping Kate's getting some more privacy now.