The French gossip magazine Closer has removed the controversial photos of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge from their website.
This move comes on the heels of legal proceedings for breach of privacy that were launched Friday on behalf of Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton.
In a statement of clarification, the publication said, “This is the French edition of Closer and not the English edition. The photos we chose are by no means degrading. They show a young couple on vacation, beautiful, in love, living a normal life. The article reports that the couple recently vacationed in the south of France.”
Editor Laurence Pieau dropped another bombshell, “I won’t hide the fact that there are more intimate pictures that exist that we haven’t published and will not publish. These are images full of joy, not degrading.”
Earlier today, the U.K.-based Bauer Media, which licenses the Closer brand to the French publication, denounced the decision to run the pics and stated that the company had demanded the tabloid pull them down from its website and “desist in publishing them any further.”
“We deplore the publication of these intrusive and offensive pictures. We have absolutely no control over the editorial decision of Closer France. In the light of their publication, we are now urgently discussing this matter with our licensee and reviewing the terms of our license agreement with Closer France.”
Unfortunately for Will and Kate, Italian publishing house Mondadori is set to publish a 26-page spread on Monday in Chi magazine. The cover was unveiled Saturday in Italian newspapers and on television under the banner headline “The Queen is Nude.”
Editor Alfonso Signorini said he didn’t fear legal action since the photos were already in the public domain following Closer‘s publication.
The Royal couple, midway through a nine-day tour of Asia is spending Saturday enjoying the rainforests of Borneo.
Photos: WENN, Inset-Video Screen Grab