Around 850 complaints have been made to the press watchdog about naked photos of Prince Harry that were published in the Sun.
The tabloid became the first British newspaper to carry the pictures, arguing the move was in the public interest and a "crucial" test of Britain's free press.
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. The Palace said it had no further comment on the matter.
St James's Palace said earlier that it was down to the editors of Britain's newspapers to decide whether they printed the controversial pictures.
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."
The pictures of the prince frolicking in the nude with an unnamed woman in Las Vegas made headlines around the world but until now no papers in the UK had used them following a request from St James's Palace, made via the PCC, to respect Harry's privacy.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid said it was carrying the pictures in Friday'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".
One of the two naked images of the royal is splashed 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.
In the picture, the royal can be seen wearing just a necklace and a wristband with his hands around his genitals as a seemingly topless woman stands close behind him.
Outrage: 850 have complained about naked photos of Prince Harry
The front page carries 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.
Writing for The Huffington Post UK, former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis said: "The paranoia and brain-freeze going on with senior journalists throughout Britain, and starkly evident on Twitter since the story of the pictures broke in the early hours, is whether the British Press DARES to print.
"Nothing to do with journalistic merit, nothing to do with the merits of the story, nothing to do with legal issues, nothing even to do with journalistic ethics...
The decisions are being reached on the basis of: 'What will Lord Leveson think?'"
Meanwhile, further details of the night the pictures were taken have emerged.
A witness who claimed to be at the party inside the prince's Las Vegas hotel suite said there were around 25 people in the room when he took off his clothes.
They also revealed details about how the royal's security team failed to take any mobile phones from party-goers.
The witness told The Sun: "No one asked for our phones or anything about us when we arrived at the party. It was obvious people were taking pictures."
SEE ALSO:
- Now Playgirl And The Chippendales Want A Piece Of Our Naked Prince…Here’s How He May Look (PICTURES)
- Prince Harry And Olympian Ryan Lochte Get Wet And Wild In 3am Las Vegas Pool Party (PICTURES)
- Prince Harry Naked, Royal Joins Brad Pitt, Kim Kardashian And Paris Hilton In Nude Scandal Fame (PICTURES)
- Royal 'Gets Nude With The Girls During Strip Billiards In Las Vegas'
- Prince Harry's Naked Photo Gaffe: Is The Royal Untouchable?
See some pics of Prince Harry wearing clothes!
