A FRENCH court has granted an injunction against further publication and sale of pictures showing the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless.

The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Nanterre, Paris, ordered Frances Closer magazine to hand over all copies of the images it published last week and banned their resale.

Today's ruling only affects the French magazine and does not to extend to publications in Ireland and Italy which have also used the pictures.

It also prevents French Closer, which is run by a different company to the British version, from using the photos on its website and tablet application.

Italian publishing group Mondadori has argued the photos are not theirs to sell and said they are already out there.

The scandal surrounding the pictures erupted on Friday when the magazine used 14 images of Kate and William enjoying private holiday moments at Chateau dAutet, near Aix-en-Provence.

Their robust response to the pictures came after St Jamess Palace said in a statement that a red line had been crossed.

Lawyers for the royal couple have asked France's criminal prosecutors to consider charging the photographer who took the pictures.