William and Kate are said to be feeling upset and betrayed today after beach photographs of their honeymoon were published in an Australian magazine, a full fifteen months after their wedding took place.
The Prince's press team are currently refusing to make any comment on the pictures, but William and Kate are bound to be dismayed that their honeymoon, which they believed was fully private, was snapped by what appears to be super-long-lensed paparazzi.
Several newspapers knew the location of the honeymoon, North Island in the Seychelles, where Kate and William's beachside bungalow cost $5,000 per night, but agreed not to send photographers at the request of the palace.
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The finger of suspicion will now be pointing firmly at the UK tabs and photo agencies who had inside knowledge, and questions will arise as to whether newspaper insiders tipped off the photographer.
It is unclear why it has taken over a year for the pictures to surface. It is possible whoever secretly commissioned the photos then had second thoughts about alienating the Palace, and the photographer was then forced to wait out an exclusivity period before selling them. Contract intricacies may also explain why they have turned up in the Australian market rather than much bigger UK or US territories.
At the time of their honeymoon, the Royal couple made it clear that they were desperate to have a truly private vacation.
The pictures published today in the Aussie magazine Women's Day show the pair flashing plenty of flesh on the Seychelles beach. William is sporting a pair of board shorts while Kate shows off her curves in a black bikini. In one of the shots Kate and William are walking along an idyllic beach and in another they are seen frolicking in the perfect aquamarine waters of the Seychelles.
The intimate pictures are bound to infuriate William, who is fighting a losing battle to protect the privacy of himself and Kate.