The Republic of Ireland edition of the Irish Daily Star has published photos of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless while on holiday in France.
Its editor, Mike O'Kane, said he treated the duchess as he would any other worldwide celebrity.
But the newspaper's co-owner Northern & Shell said it "abhorred" the decision and regretted the distress caused.
St James's Palace has said it is suing the publishers of French magazine Closer which first printed the photos.
A palace spokeswoman said of the publication in Ireland that there could be "no motivation for this action other than greed".
The pictures did not feature in the Northern Ireland edition of the Irish Daily Star.
'Service to our readers'Mr O'Kane said he was "taken aback" by reaction to the story in the UK, claiming the printing of the pictures was only causing upset in Britain and not the rest of Europe.
The decision by the Irish Daily Star to print the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge while on holiday will not surprise many in Ireland.
The Irish media also took the decision to be the first outlet to publish the naked pictures of Prince Harry.
The Evening Herald published the pictures under the headline "The Naked Prince" with the sub-heading reading "Britain's Prince Harry strips off in Las Vegas."
However, Ireland's media does operate under a code of practice established by The Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman.
The structures are designed to ensure that the freedom of the Press is never abused, and that the public interest is always served.
Buckingham Palace did not take legal action over the Harry pictures but it's not yet clear what they will do this time.
"The duchess would be no different to any other celeb pics we would get in, for example Rihanna or Lady Gaga.
"She's not the future queen of Ireland so really the only place this is causing fury seems to be in the UK."
Speaking to the BBC News Channel, Mr O'Kane added that he printed the photos of the duchess as a "service to our readers".
"She's married into the royal family, she's one of the most photographed people in the world, and she decides to partially disrobe on a balcony where it can be seen from a public road and she's stunned now, or the Palace are annoyed that people are interested in this.
"Of course people are going to be interested in this," he said.
Mr O'Kane revealed the newspaper was not offered the pictures directly, and had re-printed images of the cover and inside pages of Closer after they were put out by news agencies.
The Dublin-based tabloid is a joint venture between Northern & Shell - publisher of the UK Daily Star - and Ireland's Independent News and Media.
Mimi Turner, Northern & Shell's communications director, said the company "abhorred" the Irish Daily Star's decision to publish the photographs and "very much regret the distress it has caused".
"We, like St James's Palace, believe [it] to be a grotesque invasion of their privacy," she continued.
Irish Daily Star editor Mike O'Kane: "Everybody in Ireland wants to know what all the kerfuffle is about"
Ms Turner added that Northern & Shell were not given advance notice of the Irish Daily Star management's decision.
News of the publication of the photographs came after Italian gossip magazine Chi said it planned to print the pictures in a special 26-page issue next week.
A spokeswoman for the royals would not comment on potential legal action concerning the proposed publication of the photos in Italy "save to say that all proportionate responses will be kept under review".
She added: "Any such publication would serve no purpose other than to cause further, entirely unjustifiable upset to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were enjoying time alone together in the privacy of a relative's home."
Closer and Chi are both part of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mondadori media group.
No UK titles have published the photos and British newspapers have been quick to condemn foreign titles that have published or plan to publish them.
The royal couple were staying at the French chateau of the Queen's nephew, Lord Linley, in Provence when the photos were taken.
Wllliam and Kate face challenges in both the short and longer term.
In the coming days, they will have to decide what, if any, action to take against the Irish Daily Star.
Having taken a stand and started legal action in Paris, do they want to do the same in Dublin and possibly Rome?
Their more pressing concern is to ensure this does not overshadow the remainder of their tour.
They are heading to two tiny South Pacific nations - the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
This has been a very painful period for the duke and the duchess.
Kate has been reminded of something William has known for a long time - a life of intense scrutiny is the price you pay as a senior royal.
The duke and duchess are currently on a nine-day tour of south-east Asia and the South Pacific to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
On Saturday, the couple arrived by helicopter in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, to explore wildlife at the Danum Valley field centre.
Wearing harnesses and helmets, the duke and duchess were hoisted more than 40 metres into the branches of a parashorea tomentella tree.
During a short walk to the centre's wildlife research laboratory, a leech attached itself to the duchess's leg - which she "calmly" picked off, according to academic Dr Glen Reynolds who accompanied them on the trip.
The couple then flew to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, where they were taken on a tour of the treetop canopy on a walkway suspended 26 metres above ground.
The next leg of their Diamond Jubilee tour will see the pair fly from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, where they will be welcomed by warriors in traditional dress and presented with garlands of flowers.
16 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19611407#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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