Kate Middleton pregnant bikini photos breach privacy, palace says

By Nardine Saad

Feb. 12, 2013 12 AM PT

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s recent baby-moon in Mustique wasn’t as relaxing as they might have hoped.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 31, whose baby is expected in July, was photographed bikini-clad on the private Caribbean island and showing her new and very slight baby bump. The images are expected to be published in an upcoming issue of the Italian magazine Chi, which also published topless photos of Middleton last September.

A statement from St. James’s Palace said that the royal family is “disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas. This is a clear breach of the couple’s right to privacy.”

PHOTOS: Hollywood baby boom

The photos show the pregnant duchess in a blue bikini strolling on the beach with Prince William, according to the Associated Press.

The paparazzo shots could have been taken from as far away as an offshore boat and have sparked a bidding war in the thousands of dollars, according to Hollyscoop.

“It’s been a real sour note for the end of their trip,” a source tells Us Weekly. “For Catherine, it was the first time she had shown her baby bump, and so for it to be exposed so quickly has shaken her up a little. They thought with the privacy laws on the island they would be able to spend a moment outside of the house without this happening.”

The royal couple went to court last year over topless photos of the duchess that were taken while they were vacationing in the South of France and later published in the French magazine Closer, which is owned by the same company as Chi, which also published the photos. A French court ruled that the photos be handed over in September 2012.

The duchess has been keeping a mostly low profile since the pregnancy was announced last December after she was hospitalized with severe morning sickness. She is set to make her second official appearance since the pregnancy at a London charity on Feb. 19.

No word on whether the royals will take legal action against the publication.

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