One in five Britons have viewed Kate Middleton topless pictures

A new survey has revealed that one in five people in the UK have viewed pictures of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless.

The YouGov poll of more than 1,600 people found 20 per cent of adults had seen the images online, while an additional one per cent have seen them in foreign publications.

The publication of the images, taken while Kate was on holiday in France, resulted in the royal family taking legal action against the French versions of Closer, the first publication to print the images.

Nearly three out of four of those polled (72 per cent) believe the royal family’s decision to pursue legal action is correct, while 61 per cent believe the paparazzo who took the intrusive pictures should be prosecuted.

A higher proportion of men than women have seen the images online and the 18 to 24 age group are the ones that have been most prolific in looking up the images.

More than one in four men (26 per cent) have looked up the images online, compared to 15 per cent of women.

The survey found that 47 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds had looked up the images, compared to 32 per cent of 25 to 39-year-olds, 14 per cent of 40 to 59-year-olds, and seven per cent of those aged 60 or over.