An Irish tabloid has published topless photos of Prince William's wife Kate that drew outrage in Britain when they appeared in a French magazine.
An Irish tabloid has published topless photos of Prince William's wife Kate that drew outrage in Britain when they appeared in a French magazine.
Editor Mike O'Kane told the BBC the photos did not feature in the edition distributed in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
The royal couple's St. James's Palace office condemned the Irish paper, saying: "There can be no motivation for this action other than greed."
The Irish Daily Star website came up as "temporarily unavailable" in Britain on Saturday.
The Chateau DAutet, where pictures of a topless Kate Middleton were snapped by a paparazzo, is clearly visible from a public road. Picture: Google Maps
The publication of the photos in Ireland comes as Italian gossip magazine plans to publish a 26-page spread of topless photos of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, despite legal action against a French magazine that published the images first.
The magazine, Chi is part of Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's publishing house Mondadori, which also owns Closer, the popular French magazine that hit newsstands Friday with the photos - and was immediately slapped with a lawsuit by the royal couple alleging privacy violations.
Prince William's office says it is reviewing "all proportionate responses" to the planned publication.
A spokeswoman at St. James Palace, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with palace policy, said further publication served no purpose "other than to cause further, entirely unjustifiable upset" to the couple who were relaxing in a private home.
The Chateau DAutet, where pictures of a topless Kate Middleton were snapped by a paparazzo, is clearly visible from a public road. Picture: Google Maps
The topless photos where taken while Kate and William were on holiday at a private estate in southern France last month.
Chi said it plans to publish a 26-page spread with photos on Monday. The cover was unveiled today in Italian newspapers and television under the headline "The Queen is Nude."
Chi editor Alfonso Signorini said he didn't fear legal action since the photos were already in the public domain following Closer's publication.
He defended the decision to publish them, saying the photos are tasteful and respect Kate's dignity.
The French celebrity magazine Closer, which has published topless pictures of Kate Middleton, has hit the newsstands.
"I don't see anything morbid or damaging in them," he said. "Chi pays attention to respecting people's dignity. I don't think they hurt Kate's image."
Prince William's office, St. James's Palace, declined to comment on Chi's plans.
The Irish Daily Star has also run the pictures on Saturday over two inside pages.
The royal couple put on a brave face as they toured the jungle of Borneo, learning about local wildlife as part of an Asian tour. Yesterday, a demure Kate appeared friendly and relaxed at a visit to a Malaysian mosque, despite learning of the topless photos just shortly beforehand.
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge prepares to visit a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012. Prince William and Kate are on a nine-day tour of the Far East and South Pacific in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. AP / Mark Baker
Meanwhile, questions have been raised on why royal protection police failed to stop topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge being taken - or alert her and Prince William to the lurking danger.
Just three weeks ago their fellow officers failed to prevent photos of a naked Prince Harry being taken in Las Vegas.
A paparazzo would have used a super telephoto lens to capture the images of topless Kate which appeared in Closer magazine.
It is thought the photographer would have used a vantage point on the nearest public road where the Chateau d?Autet can clearly be seen a kilometre away across a valley.
Prince Harry's protection officers were taken to task over his Las Vegas antics. Picture: Twitter
Ken Wharfe, who guarded Princess Diana, said: ?The concern is that their security team apparently did not liaise with French police and security.
"If a photographer can poke a lens through some greenery and take these type of pictures then a gunman with a high powered weapon and telescopic sight could have done far worse. That is really shocking.
"How this area was not checked out by their security people is unbelievable. These shots were taken from a public road for God?s sake.
"There should have been an exclusion zone put around the place in which they were staying."
The photographer would have used a 600mm or 800mm telephoto lens with a ?doubler? attachment that increases the magnification of the lens..
The image would then be edited to further magnify the shot of the Duchess ? and digitally enhanced to improve the quality and definition of the final picture.
The chateau sits on the side of a mountain in the picturesque Luberon region of the south of France.
It is surrounded by the white oak forests of the Luberon natural park. A field of lavender sits below.
Yesterday there was no answer at the chateau, where a locked metal gate barred the entrance to the winding tree-lined, paved drive.
Masking tape covers the name ?Chateau Autet? on a white signpost while another notice warned bypassers: ?Do not enter, private property?.
Warnings that the property was under 24-hour surveillance were also posted.
The chateau is almost 5km from the medieval walled town of Viens, where the mayor yesterday refused to comment on the storm surrounding publication of the pictures.
A spokesman said; ?The mayor will not say anything about this drama. We knew that Prince William and his wife came to the chateau for a holiday but nothing more.?
Stephane Legal, who is a local geologist, described what had happened to Kate as ?a shame?.
She added: ?I heard about the story but I only now found out that the princess was photographed here.
?I am not interested in celebrity news. It?s a shame she could not enjoy her holiday in peace.?
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