LONDON — Mega-site YouPorn.com is ready to write a big check for the more “intimate footage” of Kate Middleton and Prince William after topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge were published in France’s Closer magazine.
In a letter to Closer editor Laurence Pieau obtained by TMZ, YouPorn marketing director Corey Price said, "We'd like to make an offer on this footage since we believe this is an incredibly newsworthy story, and we are already being slammed with emails from our site's loyal visitors begging us to make an offer."
Closer is reportedly in possession of racier footage of the royal couple slathering sun tan lotion on each other among other shots during a holiday as the couple relaxed at the Chateau d’Autet, in Provence, France.
YouPorn said that it is confident that it could show the footage legally and it has an "open checkbook" ready to fill in the amount Closer asks.
The Closer editor was slammed for publishing the topless shots in a letter crafted by Prince William himself, but defended herself claiming that they showed a young couple in love. She further stated that she held back the more explicit footage, although some reports said the magazine would run an additional 24-page feature.
"One shouldn't dramatize these pictures. The reactions are a little disproportionate," Pieau said. She added that the couple were "visible from the street" and continued, "She is a young woman who is topless, just like women who can be seen on beaches all over France and the rest of the world. They are pictures which are full of joy. They are not degrading."
But quickly after the nudes went public the Royal Family issued a statement that said, "Their royal highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner."
Closer then pulled the photos offline after being contacted by the royals’ legal team.
But that didn’t stop the lawyers from filing an injunction in France’s courts on Monday against Closer publisher Mindadori in an attempt to stop further publication in that country. A rep for St. James's Palace said in a statement, "legal proceedings for breach of privacy have been commenced today in France.”
The lawyers reportedly will also seek an unspecified amount of damages.
Along with Closer, Mindadori also owns Italian magazine Chi that together boast a readership of more than 3 million.
The company’s head honcho is none other than the infamous former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.