Ok, this is pretty bad. The editor of French gossip mag Closer defends her decision to publish the controversial pics of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless at a private French estate with her hubby, Prince William.

Laurence Pieau tells the French press that the shots “show a young woman sunbathing topless, like the millions of women you see on beaches.” She also says:

“One shouldn’t dramatize these pictures. The reaction has been a little disproportionate. It is a young couple that has just been married. They are in love. They are beautiful.”

Ok, while I agree that Kate Middleton is a beautiful “21st Century Princess,” I think it’s wrong for them to publish those rather embarrassing photos. Her husband will be the King of England one day and they surely don’t need this in their portfolios. I’d hate to say it, but putting those photos in a tabloid magazine is rather disrespectful, isn’t it? This is the Duchess of Cambridge we’re talking about, not Lindsay Lohan.

And how about the French stop hunting down princesses who vacation in their country, too? Just sayin’