An Australian magazine has risked the wrath of the British Royal Family by publishing photographs of Kate Middleton and Prince William enjoying their honeymoon in the Seychelles last year. Though the editors of British publications were aware of the destination, they promised not to publish any photographs.

Monthly magazine Woman's Day has included 16 photographs - which appear to have been shot with a long lens - in their latest issue. The snaps include one of the Prince in floral swimming shorts, and one the couple walking down the beach while Kate sports a black bikini. It is not clear how Women's Day acquired the photographs of the Royal honeymoon, and their headline "Our Island Paradise" has prompted further criticism because it appears to suggest the couple have endorsed the publication of the images. The magazine's executive editor is yet to comment on the images, though a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess said, "It's a very private moment and we would ask people to respect that privacy, as we did at the time".

Australian tabloid magazines have a history of publishing photographs and printing scoops related to the royals, thus clearing the way for the British media to publish too. Most famously, the Rupert Murdoch owned 'New Idea' magazine printed transcripts of intimate phone conversations between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 1993. The same magazine broke a British media blackout in 2008 to reveal that Prince Harry was fighting in Afghanistan - a story that prompted army bosses to send him home.