The Prince of Wales has always been protective over his family.

Prince William reportedly gave the photographers a telling-off (Image: Isabel Infantes – Pool/Getty Images)

Over the last few years Prince William has made it very clear that his family is his utmost priority, and that he would do anything to protect them. While this is something he feels very strongly about these days as a father of three, it is believed he also felt strongly about protecting his loved ones right from the early days of his relationship with wife Princess Catherine.

In a new tell-all biography William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, by The Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers, Myers speaks about how Prince William once gave a warning to photographers about their treatment of Catherine, who at the time was just his girlfriend.

It is believed William wanted to make it clear that he did not want his wife to be hounded by photographers the way his mother Princess Diana had been.

His warning reportedly came about in 2004 after he was photographed with Catherine skiing together.

Weeks after the holiday, William and his father – the now King Charles – arranged for a press call in Gloucestershire to talk about how the media would handle news of this relationship.

However, in a very unroyal-like and unexpected way, William decided to join the photographers attending the press call for a drink at the nearby Hare and Hounds Hotel.

After buying a round of drinks in, he reportedly gave the photographers a “dressing down”.

Prince William has always been protective over his wife (Image: Getty Images)

Myers was told by former Daily Mirror chief photographer Kent Gavin that William referred to the fact that photographers had taken pictures of him and Catherine by saying: “That business on the slopes, totally uncalled for, don’t you think?”

Gavin continued to tell Myers: “We knew he wasn’t asking the question, it was more of a dressing down, which was pretty extraordinary.

“He then said he was making himself very clear, that there was absolutely no way we are going back to the old days. I remember him saying, ‘There is absolutely nothing I would not do to protect my family or those close to me from those times, so we are not going back.’ We were all pretty dumbfounded, but understood where he was coming from.”

After saying this, William finished his cider and bid the photographers farewell.