Newspapers will stop using paparazzi pictures of Prince William and Prince Harry in the first step to agreeing to tighter self-regulation. Following Earl Spencer's savage attack on newspapers during his tribute to Princess Diana on Saturday, the press has pre-empted calls for privacy laws by agreeing that the use of unauthorised photographs must be more strictly controlled.
In a series of editorials yesterday the Mirror, the Sun and the London Independent said that they would no longer use the pictures.
"Nobody wants to see those two remarkable young princes suffer any more than they are already," an editorial in the Mirror said.
"The Mirror will now work swiftly with the Press Complaints Commission to protect these boys from intrusive paparazzi pictures."
Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and London's Evening Standard, have already said that any use of paparazzi pictures will have to be cleared with Lord Rothermere, the proprietor.
"There can be few British journalists who did not spend some hours this weekend brooding about privacy after Lord Spencer's vengeful contribution," said Mr Max Hastings, editor of the Standard.
"Some members of the newspaper trade have behaved like animals and it is strongly in the public interest that they should be deterred from doing so."
Mr Alan Rusbridger, the editor of the Guardian, has called for a wider debate on the issues of privacy and the press. He said that the paper's guidelines on the use of intrusive pictures had been renewed.
Lord Wakeham, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, will visit the editors of all the national newspapers over the next week to gauge opinion on how the industry's code of conduct can be strengthened.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, has said that he does not favour privacy legislation, but he does want to tighten rules.
"We will never again publish any pictures of the princes in a private situation and we will be more sparing of pictures of the princes and other members of the royal family in other situations as well," Mr Andrew Marr, editor of the London Independent, told the Today programme.
Mr Gerald Kaufman, chairman of the influential Commons Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee, was yesterday urged to mount a new and penetrating investigation into "media intrusion and privacy".
Mr Michael Fabricant, Tory MP for Lichfield and a senior member of the committee, said it was urgent that such an inquiry should be held.
"I welcome the pledges that have come from some quarters of the media to respect the privacy of the princes. But can they be trusted?" he said.
"Some years ago, when he was National Heritage Secretary, David Mellor said they were drinking in the last-chance saloon. But they seem to have had a good many drinks in there since then.
"It makes sense that our committee should have a long and hard look at the situation."