A morning show that aired the scandalous photos of a pregnant Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, sporting a bikini apologized Wednesday for showing the images to its millions of viewers, according to Metro.

During its morning segment discussing newspaper headlines on Wednesday, ITV's This Morning anchors held up the Italian Chi magazine to the camera, the publication which published on its cover images of Middleton in a blue bikini flaunting her baby bump. The uncensored front cover of Chi was held on screen for approximately three seconds.

The photos reportedly upset the royal family, who said in a released statement that the pictures violated Middleton's privacy because they were taken while she was on a private holiday with her husband, Prince William, on the Caribbean island of Mustique.

A royal spokesperson said the photos were "a clear breach of the couple's right to privacy."

"We are disappointed that photographs of the duke and duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas. This is a clear breach of the couple's right to privacy," a spokesperson for St James's Palace added.

The show's host, Eamonn Holmes, on Wednesday read out a statement on air apologizing for showing the photos.

"Earlier during today's news review we were discussing photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a beach in Mustique published in an Italian magazine," Holmes said. "Unfortunately we accidentally showed an unblurred image of the magazine cover, which briefly showed the photographs."

"This was a deeply regrettable error and we are very sorry. We apologize unreservedly to the duke and the duchess," he added.

Chi magazine is the also one of the few publications to print topless photos of Middleton when they surfaced in September of 2012.