French prosecutors have placed the publisher and photographer of unauthorized topless snaps of Prince William's wife, Kate, under formal criminal investigation, they said Thursday.

Mondadori Magazines France and local photographer Valerie Suau were placed under investigation earlier this month over possible criminal exploitation of the images, which appeared in the French Closer magazine last September, according to Caroline Chassain, Nanterre prosecutor spokeswoman.

Chassain added that Suau's employer, local newspaper La Provence, was also placed under formal criminal investigation Monday.
The photos showed the Duchess of Cambridge relaxing at a private villa in Provence, in southern France, sometimes without her bikini top and, in one case, her suit bottom partially pulled down to apply sunscreen.

If convicted, Closer magazine could face closure for up to five years; the photographer could face fines and — much less likely — a year in prison. The potential punishment for La Provence was not yet clear.

Though the development, which moves the investigation one step toward a full-blown trial, is likely to please royal officials, it will probably take several months before the investigating judge decides whether or not to fully charge the parties on a possible breach of the Duchess of Cambridge's privacy.

'One factor in the royal couple's advantage is that they won the civ.