Kate Middleton in Solomon Islands
Locals have greeted Kate Middleton in the Solomon Islands just days after controversial images of the Duchess were published in a French magazine.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were warmly welcomed along the latest stop of their South Pacific tour despite the scandal surrounding the revealing photos of Middleton.
Last week, a French magazine Closer published images of the Duchess sunbathing during a vacation with her husband in France earlier this month. Lawyers filed a criminal complaint on behalf of the royals in a French court against Closer on Monday in an attempt to prevent the photos from spreading.
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Meanwhile, the young couple arrived on Marau in the Solomon Islands on Sunday where they received traditional jewelry from the village residents, including several topless women. The visit is one of the last events along the Diamond Jubilee tour.
Despite making worldwide headlines over the topless pictures released by Closer, Middleton has put on a brave face along the tour while greeting fans and international leaders.
Making matters worse, an Italian magazine Chi published dozens of photos of the Duchess while topless on Monday. It is unknown if the royals will also seek legal action against the Italian publication for the photos.
After learning about the images last week, the royal couple was reportedly "furious" and they felt that "a red line [had] been crossed," according to a statement from their representative.
Moreover, fans of the British royal family from around the world have flooded Twitter with messages of rage directed at Closer magazine as well as sympathy for Kate.
Alternately, Mondadori, the publishing group that owns both Closer and Chi, defended the magazines' decision to run the pictures of Middleton in a statement.
"The editors of the two magazines decided to publish the pictures because their content is clearly newsworthy, without in any way being damaging to the subjects," said the company, according to E! News.
Alfonso Signorini, the Editor-in-chief at Chi, further defended the magazine, citing that the article provided a "wonderful and common" perspective of the royal couple.
"This is a feature that deserves a special edition given that it shows, in a wholly natural way, the daily life of a very famous young, modern and loving couple," explained Signorini.
