Nearly a week after topless photos of Kate Middleton first appeared in French magazine Closer, publications in other European countries are following its lead, despite an injunction the royal couple won in French court.
According to CNN, a Swedish gossip magazine published the photos, followed by its sister publication in Denmark, Se och Hoer.
After the photos first appeared in Closer, they were republished by an Italian magazine and an Irish newspaper.
The series of grainy photos, which appear to be shot from a distance with a long-range lens, show the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing along side her husband, Prince William, on the balcony of a private residence in the south of France. She removed her top and at one point was captured bending over, pulling down the back of her bikini bottoms, while her husband put sunscreen on her buttocks.
“It’s a set of unique photos from an A-class celebrity,” Se Og Hor Danish editor Kim Henningsen said. “We are a leading gossip magazine in Denmark, and it is my job to publish them. If the British royal family want to sue us, then it will happen then and we’ll deal with it.”
The royal couple won an court battle on Monday, which resulted in an injunction against the original publisher, Closer, barring it from any future use of the photos. The magazine was ordered to give the original photos back to Kate Middleton and Prince William. Closer was also fined about $2,600 and ordered to pay $10,000 per day for each day they failed to hand over the photos following the ruling.
The couple also filed a criminal complaint against the magazine and the photographer for invasion of privacy. A guilty verdict could mean jail time for Closer’s publisher.
Meanwhile, the royal couple has appeared to be all smiles during a tour through the South Pacific this week.
