Bruni ‘furious’ over nude photos as Sarko show arrives in Britain

Carla Bruni, who arrived in London this morning with her husband French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a state visit, is said to be furious at the timing of a Christie's New York announcement that it will auction a nude black and white portrait of her. The photograph, taken by photographer Michel Comte 15 years ago, depicts a naked Bruni staring at the camera and is expected to fetch at least £2,000 when it auctioned next month.
 
French newspapers have reported that a close aide of the French First Lady saying: "Carla is very angry, not to say deeply upset, that a commercial organisation has chosen to release this print at such an important time." Christie's has defended its decision to auction the picture. A spokeswoman said: "It's a work of art. It was shot in 1993 when Ms Bruni was a model and it's a tasteful nude portrait executed by a well-known, respected artist."
 
News of the photograph came as the Sarkozys prepared for a 36-hour state visit during which they will stay at Windsor Castle with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The President, who will also hold talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is said to be keen to use the trip to rebrand himself as a dignified leader, after plummeting approval ratings in recent months.
 
Meanwhile Bruni - the former supermodel-turned singer - appears to be keen to capitalise on her exposure in Britain in an effort to sell her new album, No Promises. When promotional copies of the album - her first English language CD, which sets British and American poetry to music - were sent ahead, they carried a label announcing that Bruni was the wife of the French President and would be in Britain in March to meet the Queen. ·