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 this week.
St. James’s Palace condemned the publication by the Irish tabloid, saying “there can be no motivation for this action other than greed.”
Additional Photos
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 U.K.,” he said.
Italian gossip magazine Chi, part of Silvio Berlusconi’s media empire, is also to publish the topless pictures, local media reported 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Chi is planning a 26-page report in a special edition out on Monday, including unpublished pictures, despite the decision Friday by Britain’s Prince William and his wife to sue for breach of privacy Closer, the French magazine that first published the photos.
“It is a report worthy of a special edition because it shows with complete candor 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.
Colbert loves Roman Catholic Church, seriously
NEW YORK — In a rare public moment out of character, actor Stephen Colbert told students at the Jesuit Fordham University on Friday that he loves the Roman Catholic Church no matter its human flaws.
The host of “The Colbert Report” talked about his faith in a discussion on humor and spirituality with New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Rev. James Martin, author of “Between Heaven and Mirth” and the official chaplain of Colbert’s show.
Colbert, who has taught Sunday school classes to school-age children, said people in comedy often don’t understand how he could remain Catholic. But he said he views the church as teaching joy, which he called the “infallible sign of the presence of God.”
“I love my church – warts and all,” he said, before an audience of about 3,000 cheering students. Still, he said, “If Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humor, I am in huge trouble.”
Star bowlers to help kids who stutter
NEW YORK — Paul Rudd wants to take you bowling — and he’s bringing along some of his A-list friends.
The actor is hosting a bowling benefit next month in New York to support Our Time, which helps children who stutter. The event will be held Oct. 22 at Lucky Strike lanes.
The guest list includes Gina Gershon, Mariska Hargitay, Rashida Jones, Julianna Margulies, Jesse L. Martin, Denis O’Hare, Fisher Stevens, Victor Garber, Fisher Stevens, Rosie Perez, Anthony Rapp, Rachel Dratch, Lewis Black, John Oliver, Mo Rocca, Steve Kazee, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bobby Cannavale.
Rudd was playing a character who stutters in Richard Greenberg’s “Three Days of Rain” in 2006 when he learned about Our Time.
Tickets, which include open bar and dinner, range from $275 to $10,000.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.