The nude photo of France's first lady, Carla-Bruni-Sarkozy, has stolen the lime light at an auction. It was announced that the picture has fetch more than 22 times the estimated amount, a stunning £45,000.

The 13-by-10 photo of the model was taken in 1993 when Bruni-Sarkozy was one of the world's most sought after models. The money from the auction will go to support the Swiss charity Sodis, which provides clean drinking water to developing countries.

(more pictures to follow...)

The First Lady of France was definitely not very happy with the fact that the photograph surfaced on the day before she accompanied her husband, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, on a state trip to the United Kingdom.

It was speculated that the buyer is a Chinse Art Collector who managed to purchase it at Christie's in New York.

Background Information of the Photograph
The nude image of Carla Bruni was taken by a professional photographer, Michael Comte, in 1993 when she was a top model.