Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton Closer magazine topless photos: Royals vow to "keep calm and carry on" 

"We'll grin and bare it": Couple take legal action but admit world will still see topless Kate pics

They had every right to still be furious yesterday as more foreign editors ignored their appeals not to print shocking topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Yet Prince William and Kate appeared anything but angry as they continued their royal tour, delighting thousands of fans in the South Pacific.

Despite finally accepting there is nothing they can do to stop the paparazzi shots appearing again in other publications around the globe, the couple looked relaxed and calm on a visit to the Solomon Islands.

They will today sue French Closer for damages after it printed the pictures of Kate topless during a private holiday at a chateau in Provence.

And they are also to make a complaint to prosecutors in France in a bid to launch a criminal case against the photographer who sneaked the balcony shots with a long lens, that could land the snapper in jail.

But it was business as usual yesterday as the couple beamed their way through a visit that included a stunning display of traditional tribal dancing.

A royal source said last night: “Their motto is keep calm and carry on.”

William and Kate even stopped to pose for photographers with the prince telling them: “As you asked so nicely. Of course.” It was a clear sign the fury of the previous few days has faded.

The source added: “They have had some time to take this in and talk it through and their anger has subsided. They are not actors, they could not be behaving as they had today if they were still furious about it.

“They have put it to bed and it has given them some closure to know legal action is being pursued.”

Apart from seeking damages, the couple will also demand the topless photos be banned from publication in the rest of France.

But a Palace source said there was little they could do to stop the snaps appearing in the Irish Daily Star on Saturday or across 26 pages of Italy’s Chi magazine today.

The insider said: “We have been advised there is not a realistic chance of bringing successful action in Italy and Ireland so the Duke and Duchess have accepted there is little they can do here. We are keeping our options open and haven’t ruled out action in other countries but time and resources are an issue.

“They are committed to redressing what they feel is the serious wrong done to them in what ways they can. They want to make sure French Closer and the ­photographer are held to account and to prevent this from happening again.”

A Palace spokeswoman added: “We can confirm a criminal complaint is to be made to the French Prosecution Department tomorrow.

“It concerns the taking of ­photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge whilst on holiday and the publication of those photographs in breach of their privacy.” William and Kate have instructed Paris barrister Aurelien Hammelle to call for “the stiffest punishment possible” against French Closer.

These could include a one year prison sentence for not only the photographer, but also the magazine’s editor.

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps yesterday praised UK ­newspapers for refusing to publish the topless pictures. He said: “This was just more than a step too far. Well done to the British press for not following this route.”

Former Tory PM Sir John Major branded the photographer a “peeping Tom”. William and Kate’s legal bill will be paid by Prince Charles and the Queen. The source said: “It’s not about the money. It’s a matter of principle.”

Chi said it has no qualms printing the shots of Kate, under the headline: Court Scandal! The Queen is Nude!. Defiant editor Alfonso Signorini said “not even a direct call from the Queen” would stop him. And chief of ­Mondadori, the publisher of Chi, defended the decision. Marina ­Berlusconi, daughter of owner and former Italian PM Silvio, said: “The majority of gossip mags would have fallen over ­themselves to print these photographs.”

As the furore rumbled on, Kate and William, both 30, said nothing had prepared them for the rapturous welcome when they touched down in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara on the last leg of their Diamond Jubilee tour. A crowd of around 70,000 lined the roads as the couple were driven from the airport in an open-topped Toyota transformed into a specially-made symbolic war canoe.

Student Barbara Daufanamae, 21, and 22-year-old friend Frances Vahimana waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the couple. Barbara said: “We are so excited. Everyone in Honiara is here.” In a speech, William – like Kate wearing traditional island dress – tried his hand at the pidgin English spoken here. He said: “Mifala barava Tagio tumas. We thank you very, very much.”

The prince added: “This land is the most beautiful place imaginable, and the people of the Solomon islands are amongst the most gracious and friendly we have ever met.”