The Sun has become the first British newspaper to publish images of a naked Prince Harry at a Las Vegas party despite a request from St James' Palace.
Newspapers in the UK did not publish the images of Prince Harry frolicking nude with an unnamed woman in Las Vegas following a request from the palace through the Press Complaints Commission to respect his privacy.
But media organisations outside the UK did feature them after they first appeared on US-based celebrity gossip website TMZ.
The Sun said it was now carrying the pictures 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".
On its website, a video explaining the move from Managing Editor David Dinsmore said the decision was not taken lightly.
He said: "The Sun is a responsible paper and it works closely with the Royal Family and we take heed of their wishes.
"We are also big fans of Prince Harry. He does a huge amount of work for this country and the military and the image of both 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 the ludicrous situation where a picture can be seen by hundreds of millions of people round the world on the internet but can't be seen in the nation's favourite paper."
One of the two pictures is splashed across the front page with the headline "Heir it is!" and an editorial explaining the reasons behind printing it.
Prior to Friday's edition, the public were able to read about the antics in a hotel suite during a "strip pool" party that left him covering his genitals while standing in front of a naked woman.
But to see the pictures, they had to access them through the internet.
It was widely believed that editors had shied away from publishing the photos in respect of past rulings on privacy, the PCC and the on-going Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.
Sky News also chose not to publish the images.
Although the incident is embarrassing for Harry, who is due to embark on the next phase of his military career, there are unlikely to be any serious consequences.
But the episode raises security concerns as the Prince was in a potentially vulnerable position when he was photographed.
A spokesman for St James' Palace said: "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."
TMZ said the photos were taken last Friday after Harry and his entourage met some women in a hotel bar and invited them up to the suite.
The group played a stripping game and someone in the party is thought to have taken the images on a camera phone.
