Pippa Middleton photos leak: Up to 3,000 images stolen in iCloud account hack

Images of the Royal family are thought to be among pictures stolen in the hack

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews (PA)

Pippa Middleton’s iCloud account has been hacked, it has emerged.

It is believed a number of personal photos of the Duchess of Cambridge's sister have been accessed in the unlawful hack, including images of Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

In a statement issued by her lawyers, Ms Middleton confirmed her account had been unlawfully accessed. Her representatives say the hackers are trying to sell the private photographs to publications.

It is believed up to 3,000 photos may have been stolen.

It is not yet known who is behind the hack.

Photos leaked are thought to include images of the royal children, including wedding dresses and private parties.

Ms Middleton, 33, is an author and columnist. She has penned a number of party planning and cookery books including 'Celebrate' and 'Heartfelt'.

She and her fiance James Matthews have asked for their privacy to be respected in light of the news.

In July she announced her engagement to Mr Matthews, a hedge fund manager. They are expected to marry next year.

It emerged yesterday that details of more than 500m people were compromised in a hack on Yahoo. The company said a "state-sponsored" actor hacked into its network in 2014 and stole details. Stolen information included names, email addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth. The company said payment data and bank account information were not stolen.

In 2014 a major hack saw the personal photographs of a number of high profile figures stolen after their iCloud accounts were compromised. Victims of the hack included Jennifer Lawrence.

The Independent has sought comment from Apple but has not yet received a response.

More follows