Italian Chi magazine publishes more topless Kate photos

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Published on Monday, 17 September 2012 09:50

Written by Admin

Italy's Chi magazine pushed ahead with its plan to publish a series of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge on Monday, complete with a curt dismissal of the protests raised by the royal family. Editor Alfonso Signorini had said not even a call from the

Queen could stop him printing the paparazzi shots. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a nine-day tour of south-east Asia and the South Pacific.

The magazine published 18 photographs spread over 19 pages of the royal couple sunbathing at a villa in southern France.

The photo sequence is no more compromising that the pictures published last week by French magazine Closer, and show the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of the villa. Chi states they look "like a normal couple in love". 

Lawyers representing the royal family will be in court in Paris on Monday seeking damages from Closer magazine's publisher, Mondadori, and an injunction against further publication of the photos. But no decision has been made on separate legal proceedings in Italy.

Mondadori, which is controlled by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, also owns Chi magazine. 

Berlusconi's daughter Marina, who manages Mondadori, defended the publication of the photos on Sunday, claiming the publishing firm was exercising its editorial freedom and "doing its job". 

She denied her father had been consulted about publishing the photos, claiming "my father is in politics, and with all respect has more to think of than a photo shoot". 

In its article accompanying the photos, Chi magazine compliments Kate's "practically perfect" physique, while a separate article by a plastic surgeon speculates if she has had any cosmetic surgery.

Chi, featured the grainy photos along with a series of articles on topics such as, "Kate's breasts, natural or fake?"

The publication also complimented Kate's "practically perfect" physique.

The magazine's editor Alfonso Signorini argued that the pictures represented "extraordinary reportage".

"For the first time, the future queen of England was appearing in a natural way, without the constraints of etiquette," he wrote.

"The fact that these are the future rulers of England makes the article more interesting and topical.

"This is a deserving topic because it shows in a completely natural way the daily life of a very famous, young and modern couple in love."

Talking to Sky News, Mr Signorini listed the reasons behind his decision.

He said: "As a journalistic scoop it satisfies the curiosity of the readers.

"It’s the first time that the future queen of England has been pictured in such a way, they are natural pictures, there is no morbidity about them.

"There is nothing that could affect the dignity of the person involved, the Duchess of Cambridge.

"And lastly they were taken on a public road by photographers on public land."

In his editorial, editor Signorini argues that "instead of getting angry with the media, who are just exercising their right to report, the royal family should, in my humble opinion, run with the ball and react with typical Anglo-Saxon humour, saying 'So what?'". 

In an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera on Monday, Signorini said: "Since Kate is not exactly Alice in Wonderland, she should have expected this."

He added: "If I had had more scandalous photos I would have willingly published them." 

Signorini has stated he has no fear of being sued because Italian law allows for paparazzi to take photos from public property, even if they are photographing people on private property.

Photographs of topless women taken at Silvio Berlusconi's Sardinian villa in 2009 were banned, he added, because the photographer was standing inside the grounds of Berlusconi's villa when he took them.

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