Just as the Sarkozy's arrived in Spain for an official visit, it was revealed that hundreds of "highly intimate" photos and film footage of France's First Lady CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY have been stolen from an apartment in Paris.

The apartment belongs to her ex-boyfriend RAPHAEL ENTHOVEN's brother Julien, who is reported to have been entrusted with the photos to avoid any potential embarrassment to Bruni-Sarkozy or her husband, French President NICOLAS SARKOZY.

Police officers working on the case are investigating the possibility the thieves deliberately targeted the property, knowing the sensitive images were stored there.