Duchess of York charged by Turkey over orphans film

The Duchess made the ITV documentary in 2008

A court in Turkey has brought charges against the Duchess of York for illegally filming orphans in the country for a television documentary.

The Duchess and her daughter Princess Eugenie visited the orphanage near Ankara while making a film for the ITV Tonight programme in 2008.

The court accused her of going "against the law in acquiring footage and violating privacy" of five children.

She faces a maximum term of more than 22 years in prison if convicted.

The Duchess wore a disguise to enter the institution and filmed scenes of children tied to their beds and left in cots all day.

At the time, the Turkish government accused her of being involved in a "smudge campaign" when Turkey was trying to get membership of the European Union.

But the Duchess, who also filmed orphanages in Romania for the programme, said she was "apolitical" and had gone purely as a mother, and she was "happy with courage to stand by the film".

It is unclear why it has taken over three years for charges to be laid, and no trial date has yet been set.