Star magazine became the first American publication to run the controversial photos of a pregnant Kate Middleton in a bikini, revealing her growing baby bump.

The weekly tabloid made the bold move of putting the magazine out on newsstands on Wednesday, a day after St. James Palace released a statement that they were "disappointed" that the same images were printed in Italian weekly Chi.

Star offers a five-page photo spread with the headline "Exclusive Royal Photos: Kate Shows Off Baby Bump!"

View the photo of a pregnant Middleton on the cover ofStar magazine here.

The images in both magazines are the same- the Duchess of Cambridge is walking on a beach in the private island of Mustique. The blue bikini she is wearing is so revealing that readers get a good glimpse of her four-month-old baby bump.

Middleton reportedly stayed at a $30,000-a-week villa with her husband Prince William while they vacationed on the Caribbean island. Her parents and younger sister, Pippa Middleton, also vacationed on the exotic locale at the same time at a nearby property.

"Kate really wanted to get away one last time before the baby is born," a source told Star.

An onlooker who happened to be on the private island when Prince William and the Middleton family were there shared the details of their eyewitness accounts with Star.

"William joined Kate for an early morning swim; they were touching and kissing in the waves," the eyewitness told the magazine. "When they came out of the water, he got down on his knees in front of Kate and kissed her baby bump. He then hugged her and held her as they watched the sunrise together. You could tell it was a magical moment for them." 

Chi released the issue featuring the same pictures of Middleton on Tuesday with the headline "La Pancia Cresce," which when translated means "Your Belly Grows." 

St. Palace released a statement the same day. They wrote that the images in Chi were "a clear breach of the couple's right to privacy."  

View the photo of Middleton's growing baby bump on the cover of Chi here

The British tabloid Daily Mirror declined to look at the images and said they will not publish them out of respect for the royal family, according to New York Magazine.  All of Britain's other news outlets also refused to publish the photos. 

St. James Palace has yet to reveal if they will take legal action against Chi and Star.

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