The Sun, Rupert Murdoch's popular British tabloid, on Friday published nude photographs of Prince Harry despite being asked not to by the royal family.

A picture of the nude Prince appeared on the front of Friday's edition next to the headline "Heir it is".

British newspapers had previously refrained from running the grainy snaps showing the third in line to the throne cavorting naked with friends in a Las Vegas hotel suite, but the top-selling tabloid said its readers had a "right to see them".