The British Royal Family has condemned an Italian gossip magazine for threatening to publish paparazzi photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton as she walked on a secluded beach in a bikini while holidaying in Mustique earlier this week. The photographs - which show Middleton with a small baby-bump - are to be published in the Italian magazine 'Chi.'

St James's Palace has attacked the mag for breaching the Duchess' privacy, saying in a statement, "We are disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas.This is a clear breach of the couple's right to privacy." Chi has a notorious track record when it comes to upsetting the Royal Family. The magazine was heavily criticized for being one of the first tabloids to publish pictures of Princess Diana as she lay dying in Paris following her fatal car crash. It also published paparazzi photos showing Kate Middleton sunbathing topless during a French holiday with her husband last year. The magazine, based in Segrate, Milan, is published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, the biggest publishing company in Italy. 

The Duchess of Cambridge is currently five-months pregnant with her first child. She hit the headlines in December after being admitted to hospital with severe morning sickness. A nurse working at the facility committed suicide after putting through a call from two Australian radio DJ's, falsely believing one of them to be The Queen.