world can't wait to see the Duchess of Cambridge topless on a guesthouse terrace". The pictures were apparently taken while the British royals were on holiday in France last week.
Royal Couple: Prince William and Kate Middleton
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."
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 royal source added that the monarchy was investigating the authenticity of the photos and would then "make a decision about what to do". The story was picked up in the British media on Friday, less than a month after the publication of naked pictures of William's brother Harry. 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. Visiting a hospice in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur Thursday, Catherine made her first comments on foreign soil, discussing care for disease sufferers as the British monarchy continues to ease her into her official role.
On Friday, the royal couple 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.
A man holds a copy of the French magazine Closer showing pictures of Kate Middleton and Prince William (Reuters Photo)
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"William called Harry straight away and gave him a bit of a telling off. But Kate pointed out he had already been through the ringer and deserved their sympathy," contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.
"She's promised to support him as much as possible and offered to help him come up with a recovery plan to get his public image back on track," the source added.
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Prince Harry kissed a blonde at Vegas party?
A blonde girl who partied out with Prince Harry in Las Vegas, has claimed that she spent 15-20 minutes kissing the naked royal in his hotel bedroom.
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Wills-Kat to embark on second honeymoon
Only 18 months after their honeymoon on the exclusive North Island resort in the Seychelles, they will be spending a night on privately owned Tavanipupu island, famed for its crystal waters and luxury hand-thatched bungalows, as part of their first official tour on behalf of the Queen.
Unlike most couples who can’t hope to manage a second honeymoon until retirement, it has come around rather quickly for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – the couple are again heading to a deserted paradise island but this time in the South Pacific.
Before that the couple will be travelling to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and the Solomon Islands, ending their nine-day trip on the South Pacific realm of Tuvalu, the fourth smallest country in the world.
They’ll get up close and personal with wild orangutans, have an orchid named after each of them and face the challenge of being carried from a plane in a garlanded canoe.
This will supposedly be the biggest test yet of the Duchess’ much-praised fashion sense, as she will need up to 30 different outfits, including one for a trek to the jungle, the Daily Mail reported.
Her famous locks will be also well cared for as Prince Charles is privately footing the bill for a freelance hairdresser to travel with them and the couple have hired a private jet – paid for by the taxpayer – for part of their trip.
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With additional inputs from agencies