French Magazine Yanks Topless Kate Middleton Photos

Under legal threats from Britain's Royal Family, the French magazine Closer has taken down topless photos of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton from its website.

Meanwhile, one Italian publication hasn't been backed off so easily.

A "furious" Royal Family was set to sue Friday when the photos of a topless Middleton sunbathing with husband Prince William on vacation in France raised an international sensation.

"For me, those pictures were not shocking," editor Laurence Pieau responded. "Just a beautiful couple, an in-love couple, in the south of France. Kate is the girl next door."

According to Us Weekly, Closer publishers released a statement defending the photos as they were being removed.

"Following comments received after the publication of photos of Kate and William in Closer Magazine France, we would like to make the following clarifications: This is the French edition of Closer and not the English edition," the statement reads. "The photos we chose are by no means degrading. They show a young couple on vacation, beautiful, in love, living a normal life. The article reports that the couple recently vacationed in the south of France."

To be clear, had Prince William and Prince Harry's mother Princess Diana of Wales not been killed by an automobile accident while evading relentless paparazzi in 1997, the Royal Family might not have taken incidents such as Middleton's naked breasts or Harry's naked butt being covertly photographed quite so personally.

Oh, but all's not entirely well yet. According to TMZ, Italian gossip magazine Chi is owned by the same company that publishes Closer, and is set to run the photos Monday amid a 26-page spread with the headline "The Queen is nude." Editor Alfonso Signorni argues that the photos are now public domain and fair game.

"I don't see anything morbid or damaging in them. Chi pays attention to respecting people's dignity. I don't think they hurt Kate's image," he said.