Kate Middleton Topless Photos Leak: British Royals Seek $1.6M In Damages From French Magazine

The British royals are seeking $1.6 million in damages from a French magazine that published topless photos of Kate Middleton or Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, in 2012, in a trial that began Tuesday.

According to the Closer magazine’s lawyer, six people associated with the magazine — which is separate from the United Kingdom magazine with the same name — and regional newspaper La Provence are on trial and the final verdict will be announced by Judge Florence Lasserre-Jeannin on July 4, CNN reported.

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The photos, published the year after Middleton married the second-in-line for the British throne Prince William, showed her sunbathing topless while on holiday at the couple's private luxury villa in the South of France in 2012, causing uproar.

The royals referred to the publishing of the photos as a “grotesque and totally unjustifiable” invasion of the duchess’ privacy. A St. James’s Palace spokesman said at the time: “It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them. ... We feel a line has been crossed with their publication.”

Citing the tragic death of Princess Diana, William’s mother, as she attempted to avoid photographers in Paris 20 years ago, the spokesman added: “The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so.”

The magazine was fined 2,000 euros (about $2,600) and ordered to hand over the original photos to the royal family within 24 hours of the ruling by a French court in 2012. A delay was to be met with a further 10,000 euros a day being paid to the royals.

Those facing trial are Ernesto Mauri, chief executive of the group that publishes Closer, who faces one charge of using a document obtained by a breach of privacy; Marc Auburtin, La Provence’s publishing director when the photos came out, facing the same charge; and Editor of Closer magazine Laurence Pieau, who has been charged with complicity, according to UK’s Press Association, as cited by CNN.

In addition to these, Valerie Suau, who was a photographer for La Provence, and agency photographers Cyril Moreau and Dominique Jacovides are facing charges of invasion of privacy and complicity.

“The investigation was botched,” Defence lawyer Francois Blistene, who is representing photographers Moreau and Jacovides, was reported saying by ABC News. “They were looking for scapegoats, they found these two.

“But the elements in the court file show that they are not involved,” Blistene said as he maintained their innocence. “Like Shakespeare might put it: 'Much ado about nothing'.”

According to the Press Association, Jacovides and Suau deny taking the photos that were allegedly sold to the magazine, the Press Association reported. Suau has been accused of taking photographs published in La Provence but maintained that she did not intend to breach their privacy.

Closer magazine’s lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins said the photos did not qualify for a breach of privacy and maintained that the magazine cast the royal couple “in a positive light.”