Topless Kate photos are a reminder that the royals are never safe

William and Kate were told at breakfast today about embarrassing photographs taken of them beside a swimming pool in France last week.

An official said they were "very angered" and felt a red line had been crossed. They were consulting French lawyers to explore what action could be taken. The couple have seen the photographs.

St James's Palace said their holiday retreat "could not have been more secluded."

But the reality is that the royals, like other celebrities, are never safe.

Tours like the current visit to Singapore, Malaysia and the south Pacific are painstakingly choreographed and the media strictly controlled but things are very different in the real world.

The pictures almost certainly won't be published in Britain, although The Sun did print photographs of Prince Harry naked in Las Vegas.

It hardly matters, though. They will be readily available on the internet.