""So rather than envy them for their elevated position in life, we might count our blessings that it has happened to them and not us.""

I would be surprised if many on here actually envy the royals?

""...is taking surreptitious photos of people who think they are in private a legitimate "job"?""

If there is money in it (feeds some need) , someone will do it and that "makes it their job". All jobs that serve a need are legitimate, though many have more prerstige in some societies than others. Whether some, or even many, hold the profession in high regard or not (their perspective) seems (IMO)irrelevant to whether it is a job or not?.