Royal couple angered by topless photos

A screenshot of Catherine and a cover page of the French magazine, Closer, showing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge.

A screenshot of Catherine and a cover page of the French magazine, Closer, showing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Published Sep 14, 2012

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London - The publication by a French magazine of topless pictures of Prince William's wife Catherine is “grotesque and totally unjustifiable”, their office St James's Palace said on Friday.

The couple, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were particularly upset because it was reminiscent of the press treatment of William's late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, it 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 palace said in a statement.

“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.

“Officials acting on behalf of Their Royal Highnesses are consulting with lawyers to consider what options may be available to The Duke and Duchess.”

The French version of Closer magazine printed photos on the front cover and inside on five pages of Catherine wearing just the bottoms of a black and white bikini while on holiday with William in Provence in the south of France.

Announcing a world exclusive, Closer magazine invited readers on its website to pick up he new edition to enjoy “the photos that the world can't wait to see; the Duchess of Cambridge topless on a guesthouse terrace”.

Splashed on the front cover and inside on five pages, many of the grainy photos feature what appears to be Catherine wearing just the bottoms of a black and white bikini and looking so fit that the magazine said “Victoria's Secret angels can stand aside.”

In one, William is rubbing sunscreen on the lower end of Kate's backside, in another the couple laugh as they lounge in chairs near a folded red parasol, in a third Catherine holds the top of her bikini across her chest, either taking it off or putting it back on.

The magazine said the chateau was owned by Viscount Linley, the son of Queen Elizabeth's late sister Princess Margaret.

The pictures were sure to create a worldwide media frenzy and further embarrass the royal family, already reeling from the recent publication of nude photos of William's brother Harry.

The couple are currently in Malaysia and a source travelling with them said that “their royal highnesses were saddened to learn about the alleged photos”.

“The incident, if true, turns the clock back 15 years,” the source said, referring to the intense media attention on William's late mother Diana, who died in a car crash while fleeing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.

 

The story was picked up in the British media on Friday, less than a month after the publication of naked pictures of Harry in a Las Vegas hotel.

Britain's younger royals are touring the globe throughout 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 60-year reign of William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

They are now on a nine-day trip that started in Singapore. They arrived in Malaysia on Thursday, and will move on this weekend to the Solomon Islands and later Tuvalu.

On Friday, they will make a highly-anticipated public appearance at a park in central Kuala Lumpur before visiting a nature conservation site in the Borneo jungle Saturday.

But the photo row threatened to overshadow the tour, which was meant to help introduce the couple overseas after their pomp-filled marriage last year.

The April 2011 ceremony was watched by up to two billion TV viewers around the world, sparking fresh excitement in Britain's monarchy after years of crisis.

Last month a US celebrity gossip website published grainy camera-phone pictures of William's brother Harry cavorting naked with a mystery woman during a wild party in a Las Vegas hotel suite.

Harry, the third in line to the throne and a military helicopter pilot, has since been deployed to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty. - Sapa-AFP

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