Further "unjustifiable upset" will be caused to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge if an Italian magazine goes ahead with printing intimate photographs of the couple on holiday, St James's Palace has warned.
Gossip magazine Chi is understood to be planning a 26-page photo special of the pair sunbathing in the south of France, to run in an edition next week.
Despite the palace describing the publication of topless photos of Kate in French magazine Closer as a "grotesque and totally unjustifiable" invasion of privacy, and the announcement that the royal couple will sue its publishers, unconfirmed reports said Chi still planned to print the images.
A spokeswoman for James's Palace said: "We will not be commenting on potential legal action concerning the alleged intended publication of the photos in Italy save to say that all proportionate responses will be kept under review.
"Any such publication would serve no purpose other than to cause further, entirely unjustifiable upset to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were enjoying time alone together in the privacy of a relative's home."
Both Chi and the French edition of Closer are published by the Mondadori media group, which is owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Chi magazine's editor Alfonso Signorini said: "The fact that these are the future rulers of England makes the article more interesting and topical.
"This is a deserving topic because it shows in a completely natural way the daily life of a very famous, young and modern couple in love."
A number of British newspapers have been offered the photos but so far are unanimous in their condemnation of them being published while the British edition of Closer has distanced itself from the decision made by its French counterpart, which is run by a different company.
Royal aides have drawn parallels between the late Princess of Wales' most upsetting encounters with certain elements of the press and the "unthinkable" actions of Closer, which left Kate and William feeling "anger and disbelief".
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