Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are carried as they bid farewell in Tuvalu on Wednesday, September 19. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- on a tour marking the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II -- are visiting Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. See more of CNN's best photography.
London (CNN) -- Palace officials slammed the decision of the Irish Daily Star newspaper Saturday to print pictures of Prince William's wife Catherine sunbathing topless on vacation as driven only by greed.
The Irish Daily Star's move comes a day after the royal couple launched legal action against the French magazine Closer over the images, and as Italian magazine Chi says it will publish the photos on Monday.
"There can be no motivation for this action other than greed," a St. James's Palace spokeswoman said of the Irish tabloid's decision.
But editor Mike O'Kane told the BBC that outrage over the images was only felt in Britain and that readers in the Republic of Ireland wanted to know what all the "kerfuffle" was about.
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He was "a little taken aback by the reaction in the UK," he said, saying the newspaper was treating Catherine no differently to any other celebrity.
"She's not the future queen of Ireland so really the only place this is causing fury seems to be in the UK," he said, suggesting that the British press were behaving with some hypocrisy.
O'Kane said the Irish Daily Star was reproducing the images as published in Closer on Friday rather than buying them itself directly. The pictures are not being published in the Northern Ireland edition.
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The publication of the photos in the French Closer magazine, owned by the same parent company as Chi, the Mondadori Group, sparked an angry response from the royal couple and palace officials.
William and Catherine were said to be "hugely saddened" by what palace officials called a "grotesque" invasion of privacy while they were on a private vacation.
The latest controversy comes only three weeks after the British royal family was caught up in a media furor over images of William's younger brother, Prince Harry, partying naked in his Las Vegas hotel room with a group of girls.
In a sign of how divisive the issue of royal privacy has become, a co-owner of the Irish Daily Star, media group Northern & Shell, said it in no way backed the newspaper's decision to run the pictures of Catherine.
In a statement, the company -- which runs the Irish Daily Star in a joint venture with Independent News & Media, but does not exert editorial control over it -- said it was "profoundly dismayed" by the move.
"We abhor the decision of the Irish Daily Star to publish these intrusive pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which we, like St James's Palace, believe to be a grotesque invasion of their privacy," Northern & Shell's communications director Mimi Turner said.
Northern & Shell also owns the Daily Express and the Daily Star, among other British publications, which have not run the pictures of Catherine, nor of Prince Harry.
William, who is second in line to the throne, and his wife are on an official tour of southeast Asian nations. They were in Borneo Saturday, where they escaped from the outside world on a rainforest trek.
They will travel on to the Solomon Islands Sunday on the next leg of a tour that has been overshadowed by the furor over the photographs.
Catherine was "upset" with Closer magazine, a palace source told CNN.
Mondadori told CNN it plans to run 26 pages of photographs of William and Kate on vacation in an "extraordinary" special edition to go on sale in Italy on Monday.
Chi's front cover will also feature three revealing pictures of Catherine, according to a copy of the page and statement sent by Mondadori spokeswoman Carmen Mugione via e-mail.
"It is a story worth publishing in an extraordinary edition because it shows in a natural light the everyday life of a very famous contemporary young couple in love," Chi's editor-in-chief, Alfonso Signorini, is quoted as saying in the statement.
"The fact that they happen to be the future king and queen of England certainly makes it more interesting and current, and in line with today's concept of monarchy."
A St. James's Palace spokeswoman 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."
The palace confirmed Friday that legal proceedings for breach of privacy had been launched in France by the couple against the publishers of Closer in France.
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According to Mondadori's website, Closer has an average weekly circulation of about 414,000, while Chi sells more than 340,000 copies a week. Marina Berlusconi, daughter of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has been chairwoman of the media group since 2003.
Legal analysts suggest the company hopes to recoup any legal costs and fines it may incur by increasing sales, thanks to the revealing pictures.
The grainy pictures published by Closer in France appear to have been taken with a long camera lens while the couple was staying at a private chateau belonging to William's uncle in Provence, in southern France.
The new privacy controversies have dredged up the royal family's often rocky relationship with the press and put a spotlight on how the palace deals with the media after the tragic death of William's mother, Diana, as she fled photographers in Paris 15 years ago.
William and Catherine were "hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner," a St. James's Palace spokesman said Friday.
"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," the palace spokesman said.
"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."
Laurence Pieau, editor-in-chief of Closer in France, defended the decision to publish the images in an interview with CNN affiliate BFM-TV, saying: "We were just doing our job."
Pieau said that there had been no debate at the magazine over whether to publish the photos, and that they show the royals "are just like any other couple in love."
The website of Closer on Friday showed the front cover of the magazine with blurry images of William and Kate, along with the headline "Oh My God!" but did not link to the four-page spread.
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But by Saturday that was replaced by a statement from the management of Closer, which said the photos it chose to publish "are in no case degrading."
"They show a young couple on vacation, beautiful, in love and modern, in their normal life. The article recounts the time the couple recently spent in southern France," it said. It also made clear the magazine is not linked with the UK publication of the same name.
William and his wife were in Malaysia when the news broke, part way through a nine-day Southeast Asian tour of Commonwealth nations, which started in Singapore and will conclude with a stop in Tuvalu.
The Asia tour forms part of diamond jubilee celebrations for the queen, William's grandmother.
British lawyer Charlotte Harris said Friday that Closer's decision to publish was a clear breach of French legal codes and was out of line with current views on people's right to privacy.
"The perception of the French was that they are less aggressive, that they have a culturally different opinion of where privacy laws should lie. Here they appear to have gone right over the other way," she said.
French law provides for "draconian sanctions" to protect against this kind of behavior, she said, including orders to take magazines off shelves and the imposition of serious fines.
But even if distribution of the images is contained to a degree, Harris said, the damage is done to the extent that very private information about the duchess has now become public knowledge.
No UK newspaper has so far published the photographs of Catherine.
In the case of Prince Harry, the photographs were widely circulated online but were published in only one UK tabloid, The Sun, after palace officials asked UK media not to run them.
The Sun has made clear that it won't publish the pictures of Catherine, however. Editor Dominic Mohan tweeted: "The Sun has no intention of breaching the royal couple's privacy. The circumstances are very different to those relating to the photos of Prince Harry in Las Vegas."
The Press Complaints Commission, the UK press watchdog, received about 3,800 complaints from the public over the Prince Harry photos but said it was inappropriate for it to take any action in the absence of a formal complaint from the palace.
Royal officials appear to be taking publication of the photographs of William and Catherine much more seriously.
The British media is currently under close scrutiny after revelations of phone hacking and other abuses. The conclusions of an independent judge-led inquiry, which may recommend greater restrictions on media freedoms, are expected by the end of the year.
After Diana: How can intimate royal photos be published in France?
CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this report.
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Local participants watch as the duke and duchess conclude the portion of their trip in Tuvalu on Wednesday.
Prince William plays a local game called Te Ano on Tuesday, September 18, in Tuvalu.
Prince William opens a coconut with a machete as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, watches on Tuesday in Tulavu.
The duke and duchess visit the University of the South Pacific in Tuvalu on Tuesday.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visits Nauti Primary School on Tuesday in Tuvalu.
The royal couple are carried from their plane to a welcoming ceremony in Tuvalu on Tuesday.
The duke and duchess dance with ladies at the Vaiku Falekaupule ceremony for an entertainment program on Tuesday in Tuvalu.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, prepares to dance at the Vaiku Falekaupule ceremony on Tuesday.
The couple enjoy a traditional dinner at Tausoa Lima Falekaupule on Tuesday in Tuvalu.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, waves goodbye to onlookers as she and Prince William board a plane to leave the Solomon Islands from Honiara on Tuesday, September 18.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are carried from a boat to their plane Tuesday in Honiara, Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands as they continue their tour of the Far East.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William speak with traditional weavers during a visit to a village in the Solomon Islands on Monday, September 17.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, meet young well-wishers during a visit to the Coast Watcher and Solomon Scouts Memorial on Day Seven of their Diamond Jubilee Tour in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Monday.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William travel in a traditional canoe during a visit to Tuvanipupu Island in the Solomon Islands on Monday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are greeted by dancers as they visit Tuvanipupu Island in Honiara on Monday.
The royal couple visits Tuvanipupu Island in Honiara on Monday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge learn more about poverty and village life in the Solomon Islands.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Burns Creek, a troubled community on the outskirts of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, inspects an honor guard as he arrives at Honiara International Airport in the Solomon Islands on Sunday, September 16.
Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wave to Solomon Islanders as they leave the airport aboard a truck decorated as a canoe in Honiara on Sunday.
Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are greeted by Solomon Islanders on Sunday.
Prince William makes a speech at the Government House in Honiara on Sunday.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, visit Assyakirin Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday, September 14, Day Four of the royal couple's tour of the Far East.
The royal couple visits Assyakirin Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.
The royal couple put their shoes on after visiting the KLCC Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
A crowd takes photos of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as they walk in the KLCC gardens in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visits Assyakirin Mosque on Friday.
Catherine talks to Sultanah Tuanku Haminah binti Hamidun, the Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia, during an official dinner hosted by Malaysia's sultan.
Britain's Prince William speaks with Linges Warry Apparad, a 14-year-old with leukemia, at Hospis Malaysia Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Catherine meets leukemia sufferer Zakwan Anuar, 15, at Hospis Malaysia on September 13, 2012.
Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, meet Richard Robless, council member of Hospis Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Schoolchildren wave Malaysia national flags as Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at the Hospis Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on September 13, 2012.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, visit Kranji War Cemetery Thursday in Singapore.
Britain's Prince William and his wife, Catherine, lay a wreath to pay their respects to WWII dead at the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore Thursday.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, glances back at war graves as she leaves Kranji Commonwealth War Cemetery on the third day of her Diamond Jubilee Tour of the Far East with husband Prince William on Thursday, September 13 in Singapore.
Catherine signs the visitors' book at Eden Hall on Wednesday.
The signatures of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (not pictured) mark their visit on Wednesday.
The royal couple visit Gardens by the Bay on Wednesday.
The couple look out over a balcony at Gardens by the Bay on Wednesday.
The duke and duchess pose for a picture with children as they visit The Rainbow Centre in Singapore.
Prince William and Catherine pose with 4-year-old Maeve Low as they tour the Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus during the Diamond Jubilee tour at Seletar Aerospace Park on Wednesday, September 12, the second day of their Diamond Jubilee tour in Singapore.
The duke and duchess applaud as they visit The Rainbow Centre.
Bystanders crane for photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Strathmore Green, a precinct in Queenstown, a residential district of Singapore on Wednesday.
Catherine and Prince William watch a performance by the Sunda Pajajaran group on Wednesday.
Prince William speaks to a child in the crowd on Wednesday.
Prince William, right, and wife Catherine are welcomed by a lion dance performance on Wednesday.
Prince William and Catherine tour the Rolls Royce plant on Wednesday.
Catherine greets a child during a visit to The Rainbow Centre, a children's learning center, on Wednesday.
Catherine, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, meets children at Gardens by the Bay on day two of her Asia visit with husband, Prince William, Wednesday in Singapore.
Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, meets children at Gardens by the Bay Wednesday in Singapore.
Catherine, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, arrives at Gardens by the Bay Wednesday in Singapore.
The royal couple is greeted at the airport on Tuesday.
After their arrival Tuesday Catherine and her husband, Prince William, visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Catherine leaves Singapore Botanic Gardens after visiting on Tuesday.
William stops to speak to an honor guard on arrival at the Istana, home of Singapore's president and working office of the prime minister, during the Diamond Jubilee tour on Tuesday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana for a state dinner on the first day of their Diamond Jubilee tour in Singapore. 
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