Prince William - Prince William Refuses To Let Photo Controversy Halt Asian Tour

The royal couple hit headlines this week (beg10Sep12) when French publication Closer ran a series of images of the Duchess with her bikini top off during a break in Provence.

They have filed a breach of privacy lawsuit over the pictures and are now seeking to prevent a publication in Italy running the shots, while on Saturday (15Sep12), an Irish tabloid also caused a furore by publishing the snaps.

The scandal has threatened to overshadow the couple's current royal tour of Southeast Asia as part of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, but Prince William has now released a statement through his spokesman to insist the legal wrangling won't stop the royals fulfilling their duties.

The spokesperson tells Britain's Sunday Mirror, "They've been very clear that they will not allow this to intrude on their enjoyment of the tour or, more importantly their work on behalf of the Queen.

"The couple always felt very strongly about privacy and harassment. It's part of a very long-standing and heartfelt position by the Duke and Prince Harry, given their past, to do everything they can to protect themselves.

"They've always said they don't have an issue with the mainstream media just doing their job, but they have always had an issue with ­paparazzi whose work intrudes on their privacy."