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William and Kate win topless photo injunction

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have won two victories in their aggressive legal battle against French magazine Closer and its publisher.

A French court has granted Prince William and Kate Middleton an injuctin against Closer publishing further topless photos of the Duchess. 

Under the terms of the injunction, Closer's publisher, Mondadori France, will be fined €10,000 ($NZ16,100) a day if it publishes any more photographs or provides them to a third-party - arguably a modest sum given the attention and sales garnered by Closer so far.

Closer was also ordered to hand over all copies of the photos, including all digital photos within 24 hours (although with countless copies on the internet, the order is purely symbolic).

If it sells them in markets where they have yet to be published, it faces a €100,000 fine.

Mondarori, owned by former Italian Prime Minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi.

Separately, a criminal investigation has been opened into Closer's actions. If it is found guilty, its publisher could be fined €45,000 and the editor jailed for up to a year.

The Duke and Duchess are on a nine-day tour of the Far Wast and South Pacific, including the Solomon Islands (pictured).

Comments and questions
7

Frankly, the royals are just lucky the person with the long lens wasn't a sniper. These photos show a major security breach to have taken place. Yet no one has picked up on this.

Man those paparazzi are unreasonable. What if it was their family being harassed in such a way?

All Kate Middleton photos must be returned ASAP!

St James's Palace is suing French magazine Closer for breach of privacy over the publication of topless photos of the duchess! The royal family legal action over media coverage is surprising. In normal time, Royals crave for photos that are their direct link to the taxpayer who pays a big part of the lavish lifestyle they have.

It's hard to feel sympathy for the Duchess of Cambridge being pictured topless in a French gossip magazine. This is not the first time a member of the Royal Family has been photographed undress. Remember Prince Edward’s wife, the Duchess of York, Princess Diana or Prince Harry? They were all being pictured topless or naked. Why Kate did not sees it might be unwise for a future Queen to sunbathe in this terrace? Remember the couple was visible from the road. Royals should not be notice when they walk naked. This is their true nature.

The problem is, like movies stars, royals live and die by their popularity rating. They want everybody to see them at weddings and party. The editor of Closer could be a victim, not an aggressor. Laurence Pieau is use to work with rich and famous people craving for publicity but the beautiful an in love couple in the south of France was Royals, not movies stars.

Sending the cops to paparazzi can make Royals less desirable picture subject. If Royals make the police arrest reporters, they will not be there to take pictures of their beautiful lifestyle! Will British taxpayers, who pay for this legal battle, accept to continue to spend tens of millions of pounds each year for people who are royal pain?

So, all Kate Middleton photos must be returned to royals ASAP! All newspapers of the world should voluntarily follow the French court order and hand Kate Middleton photos over to the royal couple. All pictures must be returned without exception. Medias should also be fined 10,000 euros per day of delay. This will remember them to never take a picture of a British Royal family member again.

Given that we live in a surveillance society with the average londoner appearing on no less than 300 CCTV camera per day its a bit rich that a member of the house coburg-saxe & gotha can get upset when they are behind all these laws...

What a childish carry on by the Royals. The photos are rubbish and she doesn't look so hot, is that why they are suing?

There has been more money and angst spent on this than real world issues. The money wasted could have been used sponsoring some great VSA projects.

Royals, bunch of toffs.

And to think all those Solomon Islanders were filmed topless! OMG, better sue the Royal Press for those pics.

target those paparazis get the mi8 onto them bash ewm smash em over smash there cameras 2 bust em fer whatever they can big time