24 Aug 2012

Sun publishes Prince Harry naked pictures

The Sun newspaper says publishing the naked photos of Prince Harry is a “crucial” test of Britain’s free press, but 850 people have already complained to the press watchdog about the move.

The pictures of the prince frolicking in the nude with an unnamed woman in Las Vegas made headlines around the world but until today, no papers in the UK had used them following a request from St James’s Palace, made via the press watchdog, to respect Harry’s privacy.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid said it was carrying the pictures in today’s edition so the millions of people who get their news in print or have no internet access could “take a full part in that national conversation”.

However, it seems not everyone necessarily wanted to take part in that conversation. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has had more than 850 complaints and it said all the complaints were from members of the public. It has not had any complaints from St James’s Palace or any other representatives of the royals.

St James’s Palace said it had no further comment to make, saying it had already made it clear that the decision to print the photos rested with individual newspaper editors.

A Palace spokesman added: “We have made our views on Prince Harry’s privacy known. Newspapers regulate themselves, so the publication of the photographs is ultimately a decision for editors to make.”

Prince Harry, 27, remains on leave from his role as an Apache helicopter pilot and will return to his duties shortly. He has no official engagements in the coming days.

‘Heir it is’

The Sun splashed one of the two naked pictures of Prince Harry across the front page of the newspaper, just a day after the publication got a member of staff to pose for its front page in a mock up.

It carried the headline: “Heir it is!” with an editorial explaining the reasons behind their decision to print it. It reads: “The photos have potential implications for the Prince’s image representing Britain around the world.

“There are questions over his security during the Las Vegas holiday. Questions as to whether his position in the Army might be affected. Further, we believe Harry has compromised his own privacy.”

Adding it was “vital” that the paper ran the pictures, the editorial continued: “The Prince Harry pictures are a crucial test of Britain’s free Press. It is absurd that in the internet age newspapers like The Sun could be stopped from publishing stories and pictures already seen by millions on the free-for-all that is the web.”

Sun managing editor David Dinsmore said the paper had “thought long and hard” about whether to use the pictures and said it was an issue of freedom of the press rather than because it was moralising about Harry’s actions.

He said: “The Sun is a responsible paper and it works closely with the royal family. We take heed of their wishes.

‘Big fans of Prince Harry’

“We’re also big fans of Prince Harry, he does a huge amount of work for this country and for the military and for the image of both of those institutions. We are not against him letting his hair down once in a while. For us this is about the freedom of the press.

“This is about our readers getting involved in discussion with the man who’s third in line to the throne, it’s as simple as that.”

The newspaper’s decision to publish the images provoked mixed reaction among those both and in and outside the media industry.

Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott said The Sun had shown “absolute utter contempt” for the law and for the Lord Justice Leveson inquiry into media ethics.

“It is not about privacy. It is about money, money, money. And they know that by exclusively printing the pictures, assuming they are the only (British) paper which does, they will get everybody buying the paper to see this.”

Welcomed by some

Meanwhile, Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie welcomed the move.

“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 drinking-stripping game is not a story then it is hard to know what is,” he told BBC2’s Newsnight.

“He must realise that with his rather important role as a prince of our country and is number three (in line) to the throne that he has to carry various responsibilities.

“People should stop worrying about privacy and start worrying about what free speech will mean to this country if the Levesons and the Camerons of this country have their way.”

Until now, the public has been able to read about the prince’s antics but to see the images has had to access the US-based celebrity gossip website TMZ that broke the story, or scores of other internet pages across the globe.

Heeded Leveson

It was widely believed that editors had shied away from publishing the photos in respect of past rulings on privacy along with the ongoing Leveson Inquiry.

Ireland’s Evening Herald was one publication that bucked the trend, splashing a picture of the prince on Wednesday’s front page.

Its deputy editor Ian Mallon said it had carried the image out out a duty to the readers.

Despite The Sun’s stance on the issue, the majority of UK publications are still refraining from printing the images. Its main rival The Mirror said it took the decision not to publish the pictures as doing so would be “in clear breach” of the Press Complaints Commission’s Editors’ Code of Practice, regarding intrusion of privacy.

A poll by the red-top found 63 per cent of people believed UK newspapers should not be banned from printing the pictures.