Kate Middleton Topless: French Court Blocks Photos

Kate Middleton Topless: French Court Blocks Photos - The royal family scored a legal victory today when a French court ordered a French gossip magazine to turn over all digital copies of photos of a topless Kate Middleton reportedly sunbathing in the south of France or pay a hefty fine if it ignores the ruling.

Under the court order, Closer magazine, which first published the photos Friday of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing alongside husband Prince William at a private chateau while on vacation, must turn in all digital copies of the photos by noon Wednesday, must not print the photos further and will face a $12,000 fine each time it defies the ruling.

Three publications in three different countries have published the photos of Middleton, 30, but today's ruling affects only Closer.

The topless photos also ran in the Irish Daily Star and, on Monday, the Italian magazine Chi published a 26-page photo spread of the same topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. Under the headline, "Court Scandal: The Queen is Nude," the photos in Chi include at least one shot of the duchess applying sunscreen to herself that did not appear in previous publications.

Chi, like Closer, is published under the Mondadori publishing house owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Chi is also the same magazine that, in 1997, published photos of Princess Diana's dying in a tunnel in Paris after a high-speed car chase with paparazzi that ended in her death at age 36.

"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," the palace said in a statement Friday.

In addition to the civil lawsuit they have filed in France against Mondadori, the royal family is also pushing for criminal charges against the unidentified photographer or photographers who took the photos. There are as many as 200 photos of Middleton sunbathing alongside Prince William, according to TMZ.com.

The royal couple was sharing a "healthy and profoundly intimate" moment when the photos were taken, their lawyer, Aurelien Hamelle, told the court Monday. The situation was "deeply personal."

The case centers in part on just how private the villa was and whether, in effect, Middleton was to some extent flaunting herself. When the photos were taken, the Duke and Duchess were vacationing at a secluded and privately owned chateau before beginning a tour of the Far East and South Pacific to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

"It's not an accessible [view] from the exterior," Hamelle said of the site, a point contested by Closer's lawyer Delphine Pando, who said the site is visible from a nearby road.

The editor of Chi stood behind his decision to publish the photos, telling The Associated Press that he did not fear legal action and writing on Twitter that "not even a direct call from the Queen" could stop him from publishing the photos.

In Ireland, Justice Minister Alan Shatter said Monday that the country planned to introduce new privacy laws after the Irish Daily Star newspaper published the topless photographs of the princess.

Independent Star, the company that owns the newspaper in question, said Monday that Michael O'Kane had been suspended as editor and an internal inquiry had been launched.

The royal couple was reportedly told about the photos as they ate breakfast Friday before visiting a mosque in Malaysia. A palace source told ABC News that the couple was, at first, simply saddened. But as the day wore on, the sadness turned to shock and anger and, ultimately, resulted in a decision to take legal action against the magazine.

Thousands of miles away from the brewing scandal, the couple enjoyed their last full day of their trip in Tuvalu, a Polynesian Island in the Pacific Ocean. They are scheduled to enjoy some downtime at a luxurious private estate in Tuvalu before heading home. ( Good Morning America )

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Kate Middleton Topless: Italian Magazine Publishes More Photos

Kate Middleton Topless: Italian Magazine Publishes More Photos - An Italian magazine owned by the country's former premier has published more topless photos of Kate Middleton's sunbathing despite legal action by the royal family to block publication.

Under the headline, "Court Scandal: The Queen is Nude," Chi magazine hit newsstands today with a 26-page photo spread of the Duchess of Cambridge, 30, reportedly sunbathing on the terrace of a secluded chateau in the south of France before beginning a tour of the Far East and South Pacific to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

The photos, which were first published in the French magazine Closer and later ran in the Irish Daily Star, include at least one shot of the duchess applying sunscreen to herself that did not appear in previous publications.

Chi, like Closer, is published under the Mondadori publishing house owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Chi is also the same magazine that, in 1997, published photos of Princess Diana's dying in a tunnel in Paris after a high-speed car chase with paparazzi that ended in her death at age 36.

The palace has invoked the memory of Diana, the mother of Prince William, in taking swift legal action against the photographs, which St. James's Palace called a grotesque and totally unjustifiable" invasion of the young couple's privacy.

"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," the palace said in a statement Friday.

Lawyers for the royal family were scheduled to appear today in court in France, where they planned to ask a judge for an injunction to prevent further publications from printing the photos. There are as many as 200 photos Middleton sunbathing alongside Prince William, according to TMZ.com.

In addition to seeking damages from Mondadori, St. James's Palace said Sunday, the couple's lawyers would also file a criminal complaint against the photographer or photographers who took the photos, leaving it up to French prosecutors to pursue a criminal case for either breach of privacy or trespassing.

"There can be no motivation for this action other than greed," a St. James's Palace spokesperson told the BBC this weekend in regard to the Irish publication, while also commenting that the magazines' decisions to publish the photos "will lead to a longer court case where damages will be sought."

Northern and Shell, the owners of the Irish Daily Star, said they disagreed with the newspaper's decision to publish the photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge and "very much regret the distress it has caused," The Associated Press reported.

The editor of Chi stood behind his decision to publish the photos, telling the AP that he did not fear legal action and writing on Twitter that "not even a direct call from the Queen" could stop him from publishing the photos.

Despite the swirl of legal action around them, Middleton and Prince William have kept up appearances throughout their week-long tour of Asia. The pair strapped into harnesses to view the rainforest in Borneo this weekend and then traveled to the Solomon Islands where they were treated to a ceremonial welcome and canoe ride.

They are scheduled to end their trip with some downtime, staying at a luxurious private estate in the island nation of Tuvalu.

The scandal blew up Friday, a day after Middleton marked an important first as a royal, delivering her first official speech overseas. The well-received speech was delivered to staff and patients at the Hospis Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and focused on the importance of specialized medical care for seriously ill children. Middleton is a Royal Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices in England.

The royal couple were reportedly told about the photos as they ate breakfast Friday before visiting a mosque in Malaysia. A palace source told ABC News that the couple were, at first, simply saddened. But as the day wore on, the sadness turned to shock and anger and, ultimately, resulted in a decision to take legal action against the magazine.

Closer, which featured the photos under the headline, "Oh My God!" defended the decision to publish the photos, saying in a statement on its website that the photos would only appear in the French, not the British edition, and were not degrading.

The prince had expressed his concerns after they were engaged about the paparazzi and said he had given Middleton the chance to get out of the relationship if she thought the attention would overwhelm her.

"I wanted to give her a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. I'm trying to learn from lessons done in the past and I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and to see what happens on the other side," the prince said.

Nude photographs of Prince William's younger brother, Prince Harry, partying in a Las Vegas hotel surfaced online last month and made headlines around the world. In that case, the palace contacted the Press Complaints Commission, which advised British newspapers to not publish the photos.( Good Morning America )

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Topless photos ruling: 1st battle in privacy war

Topless photos ruling: 1st battle in privacy war - Prince William and Kate Middleton's aggressive legal strategy over topless photos of Britain's likely future queen is the first salvo in what could be a decades-long tug-of-war over their family's privacy.

A French court ruled in favor of the royal couple on Tuesday in their fight over the photos, but the scope of that ruling will be limited.

The unauthorized topless photos of Kate have already been widely published in France, Italy, Ireland and on the Internet — lessening the impact of Tuesday's court injunction against future publication inside France.

The royals' strong stance also included a bid to persuade French prosecutors to launch a criminal inquiry to target the offending photographer.

The wealthy royal couple did not gain much on paper — the court-imposed fine was about $2,500 — but legal experts and royal watchers say the action was designed to demonstrate their willingness to use all legal means to prevent future press intrusion.

That will become even more important when the couple have a child, who would become third in the line of succession to the British throne, said Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty magazine.

"This was done because they want to set a benchmark for the future," he said.

"They want to send a warning to anybody who might think of doing something similar in the future."

The fast legal intervention, which developed within hours of the publication of the photos Friday in a French gossip magazine, represents a break from Queen Elizabeth II's traditional policy of using legal action only as a means of last resort. It also reflects William's determination not to let the press harass Kate as it did his late mother, Princess Diana, Little said.

Still, the case shows the unlikelihood of controlling photos through legal means once they have been published.

Closer magazine was ordered to turn over all of its digital copies of the photos, but that has little meaning in a world where millions of copies can be made and distributed in the blink of an eye.

The revealing pictures will follow Middleton for the rest of her life — not unlike the snapshots of her appearance in a charity fashion show wearing black lingerie and a sheer dress during her university days.

"Clearly, the harm has been done," said Christopher Mesnooh, an American lawyer working in France for Field Fisher Waterhouse. "Thousands, now tens of thousands of copies, are now in public circulation. A legal decision is a wonderful thing to obtain and the royal couple did exactly what they should have done. But you know the magazine is out there and I suspect most of you have already seen copies of that magazine, so the basic, the initial harm, has been done."

He said magazine executives had concluded in advance they had little to fear from an adverse court ruling when they decided to print the photographs, obtained by a photographer who trained a long lens on the royal couple as they sunbathed on a private estate in southern France.

"Closer magazine has done a very sophisticated cost-benefit analysis," Mesnooh said. "Whatever the amount of damages that a French court will award, it will be a fraction of the publicity that the magazine will have gained, as well as the number of issues of this particular issue of Closer magazine which will be sold."

Tuesday's ruling only affects the French magazine branch of Mondadori, Closer's publisher. A French court ordered it to hand over all digital copies of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge within 24 hours and blocked further publication of what it called a "brutal display" of William and Kate's private moments.

The court also stopped the magazine from republishing the pictures — including on its website and its tablet app — as well as re-selling them.

Mondadori faces a daily fine of €10,000 ($13,100) if it fails to do so.

"These snapshots which showed the intimacy of a couple, partially naked on the terrace of a private home, surrounded by a park several hundred meters from a public road, and being able to legitimately assume that they are protected from passers-by, are by nature particularly intrusive," the French ruling decreed. "(They) were thus subjected to this brutal display the moment the cover appeared."

The photos showed Kate relaxing at a private villa in Provence, in southern France, sometimes without her bikini top and, in one case, her bikini bottom partially pulled down to apply sunscreen.

The royal couple is also filing a criminal complaint against 'X' — the unnamed photographer who took the picture.

The suit aims to flush out the mystery photographer's identity and prevent him or her from spreading the photos to new locations. If the case goes forward, the photographer could face a substantial fine and a one-year prison term.

But fines and prison terms won't remove the photos from the Internet.

Professor Tim Luckhurst, head of the journalism department at the University of Kent, said the royal couple has likely learned some lessons from the debacle.

"The prince and his wife are going to have to think hard about what sort of conduct is acceptable for the heir to the throne and his wife in the age of the Internet," he said. ( Associated Press )

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Royals to Sue French Magazine Over Topless Photos of Kate Middleton

Royals to Sue French Magazine Over Topless Photos of Kate Middleton - Britain's royal family says it is suing the French magazine that published topless photos of Kate Middleton sunbathing.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have begun "legal proceedings for breach of privacy" against the magazine's publishers, the St. James Palace said in a statement Friday, after calling the publication of the photos "a grotesque and totally unjustifiable" invasion of the young couple's privacy.

Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge take their shoes off before entering a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The French magazine, Closer, published a spread of photos of what appears to be the Duchess of Cambridge, 30, on vacation, sunbathing, under the headline "Oh My God!" The magazine went on newsstands in France today.

The magazine defended the decision to publish the photos, saying in a statement on its website that the photos would only appear in the French, not the British edition, and were not degrading.

The pictures were reportedly taken while Middleton and Prince William, who celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary in April, enjoyed a mini four-day vacation together last week at a secluded chateau in the south of France before beginning a tour of the Far East and South Pacific to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

The royal couple was reportedly told about the photos as they ate breakfast Friday before visiting a mosque in Malaysia. A palace source tells ABC News that at first the couple simply felt saddened, but as the day wore on the sadness turned to shock and anger and ultimately resulted in a decision to take legal action against the magazine.

"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," the St. James Palace said an earlier statement Friday.

The revelation came just one day after Middleton marked an important first as a royal, delivering her first official speech overseas. The well-received speech was delivered to staff and patients at the Hospis Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and focused on the importance of specialized medical care for seriously ill children. Middleton is a Royal Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices in England.

The couple, who also visited Singapore and will end their trip this weekend in the island nation of Tuvalu, has been met by cheering crowds at each spot so far on their tour. Thursday's event at the hospice was no different, with a barrier collapsing from the weight of fans reaching out to see them. Young children from a nearby school greeted Kate and William, who joined her for the visit, outside the hospice with Malaysian flags and a welcome banner. Once inside, the couple met with young patients and drew with them on clay bricks, according to reports.

Despite the topless photo revelation, today the royal couple carried on in public as if nothing had happened. At the visit to the mosque, Middleton politely removed her heels and wore a stylish scarf in accordance with Muslim tradition.

Just after William and Middleton were engaged, the prince expressed his concerns about the paparazzi and said he had given Middleton the chance to get out of the relationship if she thought the attention would overwhelm her.

"I wanted to give her a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. I'm trying to learn from lessons done in the past and I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and to see what happens on the other side," the prince said.

Last month, nude photographs of Prince William's younger brother, Prince Harry, partying in a Las Vegas hotel surfaced online and made headlines around the world. In that case, the palace contacted the Press Complaints Commission, which advised British newspapers to not publish the pictures. ( Good Morning America )


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Kate Middleton Photo Shows Duchess With Rotting Teeth

Kate Middleton Photo Shows Duchess With Rotting Teeth - The latest cover image of a U.S. political and arts weekly magazine is being criticized for featuring a retouched - and decidedly unattractive - image of Kate Middleton.

The July 12 special issue of The New Republic takes a look at the state of the British government, and the stylized photo of Middleton shows her with yellowed and rotting teeth, with a tattered British flag behind her. The cover's title might explain her treatment: "Something's Rotten: The Last Days of Britain," it reads.

Kate Middleton Photo Shows Duchess With Rotting Teeth

The image might be playing into an American stereotype that Britons have poor dentition.

The Duchess of Cambridge is known for always appearing picture-perfect in public, and her lovely face - and smile - are staples of media reports across the world each day.

The incongruous image has upset many readers across the pond. "Can you imagine the uproar if a magazine from the UK defaced a picture of Obama …," one commenter posted after reading a story about the issue on the Daily Mail, a British newspaper.

"Cheap shot," another reader wrote. "They know she will remain dignified and not say a word, allowing them to 'get away with it.'"

But not everyone there seemed to mind.

"It's satire, get over it! I for one think she still looks lovely with rotten teeth. I'm reminded of the poem 'English teeth' by Spike Milligan," one reader posted.

Posters on the magazine's Facebook page seemed to express more uniform disapproval.

"Oh, c'mon. Resorting to such imagery is juvenile at best. When did The New Republic decide to become a second-rate MAD Magazine?" one wrote.

"nothing against US or pro Europe or Britain, but the cover doesn't help the "crude Americans" image. A bit tasteless," opined another.

"You made me ashamed to be an American. I could be proud that the American quality press could give the British giants of good journalism a run for their money. Instead, I, and perhaps countless other Americans either studying or living in Britain, are humiliated," a third poster wrote. ( ABC News )

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Miss Wales Sophie Moulds is Kate Middleton Lookalike

Miss Wales Sophie Moulds is Kate Middleton Lookalike - Sophie Moulds was crowned the new Miss Wales for her poise, brains and looks, and those looks are strikingly similar to those of Britain's Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Moulds, 19, is a first-year student majoring in business at Cardiff University. Like Middleton, Moulds is 5-foot-10 and slender, with long dark hair and a bright smile.

Credit: Darren Britton/Wales News Service

Moulds is apparently delighted at the comparisons to the popular Middleton, 30, who married Britain's Prince William in a ceremony that was watched by millions of people around the world last April.

"It's a great honor. I was a bit shocked when people started saying I look like Kate," she said, according to the Daily Mail. "But I'm a huge fan of her. She is such a natural beauty and very stylish. I take it as a great compliment."

Moulds will represent Wales at the Miss World competition in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, in August.

The Ferndale resident was crowned April 14 in Cardiff. She was among 47 competitors.

"I am so pleased to win and I'm really looking forward to going to Miss World," Moulds said in a statement posted on the Miss Wales website. "I couldn't have done it without the support of my friends, family and sponsor. I hope that through my year I can inspire other young girls in the valleys to aim high and chase their dreams." ( ABC News )

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William and Kate's Hollywood BAFTA event "sold out"

William and Kate's Hollywood BAFTA event "sold out" - If Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton's trip to Los Angeles were a movie, its pre-opening box-office sales would indicate an upcoming blockbuster.

The one glitzy event of the Royal couple's July 8-10 visit to Hollywood is the inaugural BAFTA Brits to Watch dinner July 9 at the Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets to the black-tie affair were offered only to studios, networks, talent agencies and video game companies.

Reps for Universal, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Disney tell The Hollywood Reporter that the studios have bought tables. The $25,000 per-table event is now "essentially sold out," according to one organizer, with confirmations still coming in. A BAFTA source says some of the invitees have bought two tables.

The idea behind selling tickets solely to the entertainment industry is to turn the event into a showcase that introduces 42 young-ish British talents (names have not been released) who have been chosen by BAFTA to meet and hob-nob influential executives and agents. Two of the British talents will be seated at each table.

FILE -- Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge arrive at a charity event for Absolute Return for Kids, ARK, in London, in this Thursday, June, 9, 2011 file photo. The programme of their first overseas trip, released in London, Tuesday June 21, 2011, sounds almost like a second honeymoon: barbecues, canoe trips, a full-day of down time free of official duties, and a chance to see the length and breadth of Canada at its full summer glory. They will see much of Canada on an eight-day voyage to celebrate Commonwealth ties, then zip in to Los Angeles, where many of the world's leading gossip columnists, fashion critics and Hollywood know-it-alls will try not to seem starstruck by the hot young royals.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file)

Royals have been criticized in the past for basking in the aura of Hollywood. Queen Elizabeth, when she came to Los Angeles in 1983, was the center of attention at a massive dinner held on the Fox studio lot with dozens of stars in attendance. But the BAFTA event is a savvy move because it can be billed by the Royal Family as an effort to boost British talent in a cutthroat business -- and the event also just so happens to be a great chance for William and (especially) Kate to dress up and mingle with the decision-makers of Hollywood.

"A lot of photos are going to come out of this event," says one organizer.

The Belasco can hold roughly 25 tables with the number of attendees being about 250. ( Hollywood Reporter )

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Kate Middleton related to author Jane Austen

Kate Middleton related to author Jane Austen - Prince William's bride Kate Middleton is a distant relation of British novelist Jane Austen, genealogy website Ancestry.com said on Tuesday.

Ancestry.com said that the new Duchess of Cambridge and the author of "Pride and Prejudice" are 11th cousins, six times removed due to their 15th century common ancestor Henry Percy, who was the 2nd Earl of Northumberland.

The family history research group said the connection was fitting given Austen's many female characters who fall in love with, or aspire to marry, men of higher rank.

Middleton, 29, a commoner with no aristocratic background, married Prince William -- second in line to the British throne -- in April after a nine-year romance. She is now formally known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she rides to Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London

"Finding this connection between the Duchess of Cambridge and Jane Austen is very exciting since, in many ways, Catherine is the modern Jane Austen heroine: a middle class girl marrying the future King of England," said Anastasia Harman, lead family historian for Ancestry.com.

"Jane Austen may have written about happily-ever-after but it seems Catherine has found a nonfiction hero to spend her life with -- far past the epilogue," Harman added.

Born in England in 1775, Jane Austen is one of the best-known novelists and social satirists in the world with works like "Sense and Sensibility", "Emma" and "Persuasion." She never married. ( Reuters )

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