Irish tabloid prints topless Kate pics

London - The Irish Daily Star printed the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Britain's Prince William, in its Saturday edition, as an Italian magazine announced plans to run the photos next week.

St James's Palace condemned the publication by the Irish tabloid, saying "there can be no motivation for this action other than greed".

The tabloid's editor, Michael O'Kane, argued that the pictures were "very, very tasteful".

"The duchess would be no different to any other celeb pics we would get in, for example Rihanna or Lady Gaga," O'Kane told the BBC, adding that the images were of the type that might be included among family holiday photo albums in continental Europe.

"She's not the future queen of Ireland, so really the only place this is causing fury seems to be in the UK," he said.

Italian gossip magazine Chi, part of Silvio Berlusconi's media empire, is also to publish the topless pictures, local media reported on Saturday.

Chi is planning a 26-page report in a special edition out on Monday, including unpublished pictures, despite the decision Friday by Britain's Prince William and his wife to sue for breach of privacy Closer, the French magazine which first published the photos.

"It is a report worthy of a special edition because it shows with complete candour the daily life of a very famous, modern young couple who are in love," Chi editor Alfonso Signorini said.

The French edition of Closer magazine is also part of the Berlusconi media empire.

The duke and duchess are currently on a nine-day tour of Asia, with the couple having toured a forest in eastern Malaysia on Saturday.