The royal family is preparing to file a criminal complaint today against the photographer who took the photos of a topless Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing in the south of France. The photos are now viral and Buckingham Palace has already filed a civil lawsuit against the French magazine, Closer. Prince William and his wife are currently on a royal tour and are holding their composure as lawyers are attempting to prevent these photos from being published anywhere else. Writer Christopher Andersen is the author of “William and Kate: A Royal Love Story”. He joins the “Starting Point” panel this morning to discuss the particulars of the situation.

“I think they’re very embarrassed,” Andersen says about William and Kate’s attitude during the tour. “They want some action taken.” Andersen adds that Prince William and his brother Harry blame the press for their mother's death and the Prince feels that “he’s had to put up with the press.”

When asked by Soledad O’Brien if this situation is more about privacy than about topless photos, Andersen responds, “Precisely, this is a deterrent.” “They’re drawing a line in the sand,” he says. The “William and Kate" author thinks this has “to do with the expectation that there will soon be a royal child.” Andersen says [Kate] “will be expected to produce an heir pretty soon” and is overdue compared to Princess Diana and the queen.

CNN Contributor Ron Brownstein asks Andersen if the royal couple’s expectation of a certain level of privacy is unrealistic in this day and age. “I believe so,” Andersen answers. “You can’t put this genie back in the bottle once it’s out there on the Internet.”

Andersen's argument remains that Kate was in a public place that is visible from the street. “It’s a bit disingenuous,” Andersen says. “They should really just keep their clothes on unless they’re behind a very high wall or indoors, because the press is gonna be out there. And they’re gonna be out there with satellites and telephoto lens and everything technology could provide.” The press is willing to take risks even if there are legal consequences. “Look at the finances here,” Andersen adds. “They’ve already made millions-sold millions of copies here.”