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Chateau’s, Cleavage and Closer

Unless you’ve recently taken a holiday off the face of the planet, you’ve heard about Kate Middleton’s recent mishap with Closer magazine. Some have complained of her mere stupidity regarding topless sunbathing, where as others are appalled at the media’s readiness to threaten her squeaky-clean reputation. So is this a case of the paparazzi intruding on a young couple’s lives? Or is the Duchess to blame for letting her guard down?

A recent copy of French gossip magazine Closer offered more than the usual round of celebrity sightings when the Duchess of Cambridge was plastered across the cover. Topless. The world was in shock; this wasn’t like seeing any other famous cleavage on the front page, these were royal boobs, and needed to be seen. Not than any newspaper or magazine in England would deem to publish such pictures, save the Sun. However this proved no problem at all as Google image provided the most searched item in the last 24 hours with ease.

Kate Middleton Closer

The pictures show Kate and Will sunbathing on their private balcony, Kate then unties her bikini top and proceeds to rub sun cream onto Will’s back (I’ll pause to let you poke out your mind’s eye). Will also seems to be enjoying himself as he massages Kate’s bare back, all the way down to her bum! Although the pictures are slightly grainy, there is no intimate detail left, well, intimate. Which begs the question: Why take off your top on a balcony when you are a member of the Royal family and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World?

Kate Middleton may be a Duchess but she is only 30, and has only been married for a year and a half. Surely this allows her to have some fun? The British public clearly disagree, as many were disappointed at the recent topless scandal. This is most likely because Kate is famously so perfect. A University of St Andrews student, Kate has a polished reputation and is rarely seen falling out of nightclubs or partying with celebrities, making her a hit with the whole country. It comes as no real shock then, that a sudden splurge of topless photos surprised the nation, and many believed them to be fake. Either way, everyone still wanted to see them, as such a royal scandal is now a rarity (excusing Prince Harry’s recent nudity in Las Vegas). So maybe that’s what we’re really enjoying, the shock and the scandal of something so unexpected happening to someone who is usually so perfect. Now she’s just like the rest of us; not naked on a balcony, but carrying some embarrassing baggage.

Yet, some have rushed to the Duchess’s defence, arguing that their Provence chateau was entirely private, and an army of security wouldn’t allow any photographers within half a mile. This, and the grainy effect on the pictures, mean that the photographer was clearly using a top-of-the-range long lens camera, purposely invading the Kate’s right to privacy. The discrepancy lies in the fact that she was not merely sunbathing in a public area open to the press, but in a private, protected environment which was invaded by the photographer.

Besides, who can say she doesn’t look good for a married 30 year-old woman? She is entitled to some private time with her husband. Although it wasn’t a fantastic idea to remove her bikini top, it does show that she’s totally human, and makes mistakes and likes to have fun. Which, in a way, makes me like her even more.

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