Prince William - Royals' Fury Over Duchess Of Cambridge Topless Photos

The future queen and her husband are said to be "saddened" after a French magazine published images of the couple on the terrace of a private house in Provence, in which the duchess can be seen removing her bikini top.

It comes just weeks after her brother-in-law Prince Harry was snapped naked at a party in his Las Vegas hotel suite.

A spokesman for St James's Palace has confirmed to Sky News that the woman in the new photos is the Duchess of Cambridge and branded the images a "grotesque and unjustifiable" invasion of the couple's privacy.

The statement reads, "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.

"Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."

The couple had enjoyed a short break in France last week (ends09Sep12) ahead of an official trip to Southeast Asia.

The spokesman added that palace officials are consulting lawyers in France over the publication of the photos on Friday (14Sep12).