UK edition of Closer will not publish topless Kate photos

The UK edition of Closer magazine moved to distance itself from the French publication which published the topless photos of the Duchess Of Cambridge - and said it would never use the shots.

The similarity of the covers of the two magazines has caused some people to wonder whether they are part of the same stable.

But the UK publisher issued a statement this morning to clarify that the French edition was printed under licence by another firm and both magazines made editorial decisions independently.

The statement said: "Closer magazine UK is published by Bauer Consumer Media. The French edition meanwhile is published under a licence by a totally different company, an Italian business called Mondadori.

"Closer magazine UK would like to make it clear that the two publications make entirely independent editorial decisions. In this respect the comments made by the editor of the French edition which have been reported in the media today do not reflect the opinions of Closer magazine UK.

"Closer magazine UK was not offered any pictures of this nature and certainly has no intention of publishing the photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge which have been published in France this morning.

"Closer magazine UK takes its obligations under the PCC Code extremely seriously and would never publish topless images of a member of the royal family on its cover or otherwise."