EDITORS NOTE: THE IMAGES OF THE ROYALS APPEARING IN THE MAGAZINE AND POSTERS HAVE BEEN BLURRED

Photos of a pregnant Duchess of Cambridge in a bikini have been published here in Australia.

Behind these blurred blobs are a series of controversial pictures showing Prince William and Kate on a Caribbean beach.

Woman's Day magazine has now joined an Italian publication in printing the photos - despite requests from the British royal family not to do so.

The royals say the photos are a breach of privacy.

It's an issue dividing residents in Sydney.

SOUNDBITE: (English) TASH BILLICH AND HARRY KENYON, SYDNEY RESIDENTS SAYING:

"Every other celebrity gets photographed so I don't think it's much different."

"She still actually looks pretty good so I don't know what's wrong with it!"

SOUNDBITE: (English) MARK HAMILTON, SYDNEY RESIDENT SAYING:

"It's just invasive and they've got people paying people big money to basically spy on these people when they should be allowed to have their privacy on the beach."

SOUNDBITE: (English) JULIA MAJOR, STUDENT, SAYING:

"I mean, if she was really worried about it she wouldn't be prancing around in a bikini anyway, right?"

The British media are yet to publish the photos amid fears of tighter press regulation.

Reports say they cost Woman's Day around 155,000 U.S. dollars.