Irish newspaper publishes Middleton photos

LONDON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Irish Daily Star has published the topless photos of Catherine Middleton, which she and husband Prince William are suing a French magazine over.

The newspaper's editor, Mike O'Kane said the photographs of the duchess of Cambridge sunbathing in Provence, France, were not included in the Northern Ireland or British editions of the publication, the BBC reported.

The Italian magazine Chi said Saturday it plans to publish more photographs taken while the royal couple were sunbathing last month, CNN reported.

Chi belongs to the same Mondadori publishing group as Closer, the French magazine that first published the images of Catherine. Mondadori is owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported.

William and Catherine have sued Closer over publication of the photographs, saying in a statement the photographer invaded their privacy "in a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner."

A statement from the management of Closer Saturday said the images "are in no case degrading."

"They show a young couple on vacation, beautiful, in love and modern, in their normal life. The article recounts the time the couple recently spent in southern France," it said.