French magazine found guilty over topless photos of Kate Middleton

A French court on Tuesday found six people associated with the celebrity magazine Closer guilty of invading the privacy of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, when it published topless photos of her in 2012.

The court ordered the individuals, including two photographers, the then-editor of Closer and the chief executive of the Italian publishing group, to pay damages.

Closer magazine, a weekly round-up of gossip about the rich and famous, published a series of photos of Middleton, the wife of Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne, topless while on holiday in southern France.

The French court ruling followed an announcement on Monday that the royal couple, a subject of fascination for many in Britain and other parts of the world, are expecting a third child.