The Italian gossip magazine Chi has said it plans to publish photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless in a special issue next week.

St James's Palace announced on Friday it was suing the publishers of French magazine Closer that has already printed the pictures of the duchess.

The palace described the photographs as a 'grotesque invasion of privacy'.

No UK titles have published the photos, and the Daily Mail said papers in London had been offered similar images.

Closer and Chi are both part of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mondadori media group.

Chi said, that despite the legal row, it was planning a 26-page photo special of Catherine and William this week.

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,' he said.

But British newspapers were quick to condemn foreign titles that have published or plan to publish the pictures. The Mail, which revealed it had been offered pictures of the duchess, said that to have used them would have been a blatant breach of the editors' code of practice.

'Expectation of privacy'
The Times said that .