(Image source: Wikimedia Commons )

BY NATHAN BYRNE

ANCHOR CANDICE AVILES

Kate Middleton topless photos — the phrase is repeated in headlines around the world.

And that’s where “ CBS This Morning ” reports the images have traveled. French magazine, Closer , first published the photos — captioned, “the photos that will go around the world.”

Now comes an attempt to shutter the spread of those photos. The royal family says it will sue the French magazine. But taking people to court over news reports and photos hasn’t previously been in the picture for the royals. Not even when Princess Diana died in a car crash while being chased by paparazzi.

Randi Kaye: “ … it’s really scary, actually, to see this all going on again.”
Victor Blackwell: “Yeah. I’m sure a lot of people heard the story and shook their head and believe that now, you know, decades later, it’s happening again.” ( CNN )

Diana’s death is just one instance where the royal family didn’t leap into litigation.

Martin Bashir cited some other examples on NBC’s “Today.”

Like when The Sun reported on the “Squidgygate” phone conversations between Princess Diana and her alleged lover, James Gilbey.

Then there was Sarah Ferguson, who was photographed having her toes sucked by a Texas millionaire .

Martin Bashir: “On none of those occasions did the royal family take any legal action. This is unprecedented and an indication of how appalled they are.”

A correspondent for the BBC says it’s not unprecedented at all. In his analysis of the royal family’s history of lawsuits , Nick Higham writes …

“On several occasions in the last 30 years, the Palace has taken legal action against newspapers or action to prevent personal information being published. Only once has a case actually come to trial.”

The latest development — the infamous Kate Middleton topless photos — are set to appear again in a pair of publications. Sky News reports Italian magazine, Chi, says it will print the photos. And the Irish Daily Star will, too. But that publication claims it will limit the view .

“ … these pictures will only be published in the Irish Republic. But St. James’s Palace has said within the last few minutes that there would be no motivation behind this other than greed.”

The Guardian reports both the French magazine, Closer, and the Italian magazine, Chi , are owned by Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.