Royal outrage as topless photos of Kate published

The publication has been condemned as “grotesque and totally unjustifiable” by the Palace.

In a strongly-worded statement, it compared the pictures to the “worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales”.

The decision to launch legal action was taken following talks between lawyers and royal aides after the images showing the future Queen wearing just a pair of bikini bottoms were published in the French edition of Closer.

William and Kate were said to be feeling “anger and disbelief” at the publication of photographs, taken while they were on a private holiday.

The St James’s Palace statement said: “Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner.

“The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the Duke and Duchess for being so.

“Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them.”

William and Kate are midway through a Diamond Jubilee tour of the Far East, which had been going well but is now likely to be overshadowed by the controversy.

The photographs were taken last week while the couple were staying in Provence at a chateau owned by Lord Linley, the Queen’s nephew, ahead of their trip.

St James’s Palace said the royal couple would not let the controversy distract them.

A spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess remain focused currently on their tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu on behalf of HM the Queen.”

A source added: “Their sadness has turned to anger and disbelief as we learn more about the photographs. They can’t believe the pictures were taken, they can’t believe anyone would publish them. The level of intrusiveness means a red line has been crossed.”

The royal couple had spent the day in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur completing a busy schedule of events that saw them visit a mosque for the first time. Before they arrived they were told about the magazine’s plans to publish the pictures later in the day.

William and Kate looked at the teaser picture on the website showing the magazine’s front cover with a pixellated image of Kate about to take her top off.

The pictures will reignite the controversy over privacy which raged around Prince Harry last month, when embarrassing images emerged of him frolicking naked in a Las Vegas hotel.

The prince was also filmed wearing a hat, sunglasses and swimming shorts, and socialising with bikini-clad women at a pool party.

The Sun was the only British newspaper to defy a royal request not to publish the photos of Harry in the nude.

Sun editor Dominic Mohan confirmed the paper would not be running the “intrusive pictures” of Kate. “The circumstances are very different to those relating to the photos of Prince Harry in Las Vegas,” he said. “As we said at the time, he was at a party in a hotel suite with a large group of strangers and one of those present released a photograph into the public domain.”

Publishers of the UK edition of Closer distanced themselves from the French magazine yesterday.

They said the two publications made “entirely independent editorial decisions”, and pointed out that the French magazine is published by a separate, Italian company. The UK’s Closer magazine said it had no intention of publishing the topless pictures.

The French magazine’s editor had posted a series of titillating messages on Twitter, telling followers Prince Harry would feel “less alone” when the controversial edition hit the shelves.

Laurence Pieau told the AFP news agency: “These photos are not in the least shocking. They show a young woman sunbathing topless, like the millions of women you see on beaches.”

Labour’s Rotherham MP Denis MacShane, a former journalist, said: “Sadly the British and French media are obsessed with salacious sensationalist intrusions of privacy and such privacy laws that exist in France do not stop publication, though they allow some castigation and fines after the event.”