Populist news magazine Nieuwe Revu has been ordered to pay damages of €1,000 to princess Amalia after it published pictures of her on a hockey pitch.

A judge in Amsterdam ruled on Monday the publication breached the princess’s privacy. The case was taken to court by the state information service RVD which says the magazine had not kept to the media code introduced by the royal family.

The magazine published two photographs of the princess, the oldest daughter of king Willem-Alexander, in April. It argued it had published the photographs because it wanted to test the code, which, it says, has no place in a modern democracy.

Protection

The king welcomed the ruling, the RVD said. ‘The court has honoured the wish of the king and queen to protect their family against breaches of privacy so that their children, like their peers, can enjoy their youth undisturbed as much as possible,’ the RVD quoted the king as saying.

The damages will go to charity.

The media code was established in 2005 to enable the young princesses to have as normal a life as possible but also extends to other members of the family.

In the code, journalists agreed not to take photographs of the royal family outside official engagements. In return, the family agreed to pose for photographs at twice-yearly sessions; once in the summer and once at the start of their skiing holiday.

In 2009, the RVD took legal action against the American press agency AP for distributing photos of crown prince Willem-Alexander and his family.