Kuala Lumpur:
Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine were "saddened" by a French magazine's claims it would publish topless photos of her, a royal source said Friday.
"The incident, if true, turns the clock back 15 years," a royal source travelling with the couple in Malaysia told AFP, referring to the intense media attention on William's late mother Diana.
Diana died in a car crash while fleeing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.
Announcing a world exclusive, Closer magazine invited readers, via its website, to pick up the new edition and enjoy "the photos that the world can't wait to see; the Duchess of Cambridge topless on a guesthouse terrace".
The revelation would be another embarrassment for the royal family shortly after a British tabloid published naked pictures of William's brother Harry.
"Their royal highnesses were saddened to learn about the alleged photos," the source said.
The source added that the monarchy was investigating the authenticity of the photos and will then "make a decision about what to do".
Britain's younger royals are touring the globe throughout 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 60-year reign of William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
They are now on a nine-day trip that started in Singapore. They arrived in Malaysia on Thursday, and will move on this weekend to the Solomon Islands and later Tuvalu.
Visiting a hospice in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur Thursday, Kate made her first comments on foreign soil, discussing care for disease sufferers as the British monarchy continues to ease her into her official role.
But the photo row threatened to sully the tour, which was meant to help introduce the couple overseas after their pomp-filled marriage last year that was watched around the world.