Kate Middleton Closer Topless Pictures: Editor Defends Pics, "Not Shocking" (Photos)

The French tabloid that published photos of a topless Kate Middleton on the cover of their magazine is being sued by both Middleton and Prince William.

"St James's Palace confirms that legal proceedings for breach of privacy have been commenced today in France by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge against the publishers of Closer Magazine France," the couple's office said in an official statement.

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The royal couple's attorney has filed to speed up the legal process. A court in Nanterre, France, confirmed the motion and said the magazine's publishers would have to respond as early a Monday.

The French celebrity gossip magazine,The Closer, released the magazine on newsstands on Friday, Sept. 16. The photos were taken while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on vacation in Provence, France.

The shocking images show Middleton removing the top of her two-piece bikini . In another photo, she is topless while her husband is rubbing lotion on her back. Middleton's breasts are exposed in both photos. 

St. James Palace released a statement on behalf of the Royal family. They called the publishing of the intimate photos a "grotesque" invasion of privacy and "the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales."

"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," read the statement. "Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."

Closer magazine editor Laurence Pieaus has spoken out, defending the company's decision to run the photos.

"These photos are not in the least shocking," said Pieaus. "They show a young woman sunbathing topless, like the millions of women you see on beaches."

"One shouldn't dramatize these pictures," she adds. "The reaction has been a little disproportionate. It is a young couple that has just been married. They are in love. They are beautiful. She is the princess of the 21st century. These are pictures that are full of joy. They are not degrading. Similarities have been drawn with the pictures of Prince Harry. They are not similar. These are not degrading."

She admits she refused to run even "more intimate" photos of the Royal couple and declined to reveal how much the French tabloid paid for them.

View the video here of Closer magazine editor defending the decision to run topless photos of Kate Middleton