ABSTRACT
The 1990s seemed submerged in an endless series of scandals involving randy royals, MPs (always male and mostly Tory) and showbiz personalities. Screaming News of the World headlines such as ‘Di found knickers in Charles’ pocket’, ‘Charles bedded Camilla as Diana slept upstairs’, ‘I spied on Di and Hewitt making love in garden’ and ‘Royal sex orgy shame’ became, as Matthew Engel commented, ‘a Sunday morning routine’ (1996: 304). Inevitably, issues surrounding invasions of privacy came to dominate media and political debate over the decade. But it is debatable how much the public was concerned. Relatively few complaints to regulatory bodies focused on privacy. People, after all, are ambivalent: often condemning invasions of privacy but lapping up the published results.
