Harry images: 3,600 complaints

There have been 3,600 complaints to the press-watchdog about naked photographs of Prince Harry published on the front-page of the Sun.

The tabloid became the first British newspaper to carry the pictures on Friday, arguing that the move was in the public interest and a "crucial" test of the country's free press.

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said all of the complaints came from members of the public but none have been received from St James's Palace or any other representatives of the royal.

Rupert Murdoch has said that the Sun's editor Dominic Mohan made the decision to publish naked pictures of Prince Harry. He added that the former executive editor of the News of the World Neil Wallis has not been contacted over this matter.

Mr Murdoch also said that he had been in Silicon Valley "far removed" from the situation but that he supports Mr Mohan's decision.

The Sun newspaper was not acting in the public interest when it published naked photographs of Prince Harry, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

The minister said "personally" he could not see a justification for printing the controversial images.

But he insisted that newspaper editors had to be free to make decisions on such issues.

The comments came as Rupert Murdoch defended The Sun's move, posting on Twitter: "Needed to demonstrate no such thing as free press in the UK. Internet makes mockery of these issues."

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Hunt said: "Personally I cannot see what the public interest was in publishing those.

"But we have a free press and I don't think it is right for politicians to tell newspaper editors what they can and cannot publish. That must be a matter for the newspaper editors.

"I just hope that people won't remember this, but they will remember the amazing good work that Prince Harry has done."

News International owner Rupert Murdoch tweeted:

Murdoch's tweet was later deleted.

News International owner Rupert Murdoch tweeted:

Women attending a hen party in Las Vegas at the time of the controversy surrounding Prince Harry have expressed surprise at the lack of royal security, report the Telegraph.

More than 850 complaints have been made to the press watchdog about naked photographs of Prince Harry that were published in today's copy of The Sun.

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said all the complaints it has received came from members of the public and none had come from St James's Palace or any other representatives of the royal.

Nearly all of the complaints are about invasion of privacy and are to be investigated in due course.

Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie welcomed the pictures being printed, saying;

"If Prince Harry with no clothes on in a Las Vegas hotel room surrounded by one naked woman and a load of other people he has just met in a drinking-stripping game is not a story then it is hard to know what is," he told BBC's Newsnight.

A spokeswoman for News International declined to comment on whether Mr Murdoch had been consulted over whether to publish the photo in the Sun, saying it had been a decision for the paper's editor.