Police in Britain are investigating the hacking of an iCloud account belonging to Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

Scotland Yard confirmed that specialist officers were investigating amid reports 3,000 private images were stolen from the internet account.

They are thought to include photographs of Kate and her children - Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The images were offered to reporters by an anonymous seller via WhatsApp.

The Daily Mail reported that the images offered included some of the royal children, as well as wedding dresses and parties.

The seller was apparently keen to sell in America because of UK privacy laws.

The alleged theft comes two years after a host of celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, fell victim to a hacker attack on the iCloud

During that leak, many private images - some of a sexual nature - were posted online.

In July, it was announced that Pippa Middleton would marry her financier boyfriend, James Matthews, in a society wedding in 2017.

William and Kate said they were a "wonderful couple".

Hedge fund boss Mr Matthews proposed during a trip to the Lake District after they had dated for less than a year.