Topless photos of Kate Middleton were published in a French magazine Friday, drawing ire from the the royal family. The revealing photos of Middleton, which were taken while she and Prince William were on vacation in France, appear to be genuine. Buckingham palace said that it is contemplating taking legal action against the publication on the grounds of invasion of privacy.

The photos appeared in Closer, a well-known gossip magazine. Officials representing the royal family called the publication’s decision to pursue and publish the photos “grotesque and totally unjustifiable.” The incident recalled memories of Princess Diana’s tragic death as she attempted to escape the paparazzi in 1997.

“Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them,” a St. James’s Palace official in London said. “The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the Duke and Duchess for being so.”

The incident comes on the heels of nude photos of Prince Harry cavorting in a Las Vegas hotel. While upset that the photos of Harry were taken, Buckingham Palace did not take as hard a privacy stance as they are with Middleton.

Speaking to BBC radio, former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis explained that the two episodes are entirely different. Closer had no legitimate reason to publish the Middleton photos, while the pictures of Prince Harry raised questions about his judgement.

Wallis added that he felt it is unlikely the photos will be published in the UK.

“They won’t get published in this country, and if I was still an editor I would not be publishing them,” he said. “There’s absolutely no chance whatsoever that they will be published in this country.”

Whether they’re posted in the UK or not, the internet damage has already done.