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The British royal family on Wednesday warned the country's newspapers not to publish nude photographs of Prince Harry cavorting with friends on holiday in Las Vegas.

The photographs, published in the United States by celebrity news website TMZ.com, showed Harry, who is third in line to the throne, naked in a hotel suite.

In one of the two photographs, the 27-year-old is pictured, apparently wearing only a watch and a necklace, covering his genitals with his hands while another person, who also appears to be nude, stands close behind him.

In the other, he is bent over bear-hugging a second person, who also appears to be naked. It is not clear if the person is a man or a woman.

The images were determined to be genuine.

A royal spokesman confirmed the family had contacted the Press Complaints Commission to request that British newspapers not print the images, arguing it would be a breach of privacy.

The two images were taken at a private suite in the Wynn Resort after a game of strip pool last weekend, according to TMZ.

Newspapers on Thursday adhered to the palace's request, although The Sun's front page carried a mock-up of one of the photographs, with a journalist taking Harry's role next to the headline, "Harry grabs the crown jewels."

The Mirror had "Harry naked romp" splashed across its front page, while the Daily Mail ran with "Palace fury at Harry naked photos" as its main headline.

A royal source told the UK's Press Association news agency that Harry had been "letting off steam before the next phase of his military career."

Video has also been released from the same trip that shows the prince racing US Olympic swimming gold medalist Ryan Lochte in the pool of a nightclub in the hotel.

Lochte, who was in Las Vegas belatedly celebrating his 28th birthday, told the Daily Mail that he was "surprised" Harry had challenged him to the race, which the swimming star won.

"He's a great guy, and it was a huge honor to meet him," Lochte said, adding: "I definitely wasn't going to take it easy on him!"

It is not the first time Harry has taken on one of the world's top sportsmen - during a Caribbean tour in March, he managed to beat the world's fastest man Usain Bolt in a mock race.

Harry was in Las Vegas after hosting a charity event in San Diego.

Known for his playboy reputation, the prince has tried to distance himself from that lifestyle.

He caused outrage in 2005 when photographs of him attending a fancy-dress party wearing a swastika armband appeared in the media, and was forced to apologize in 2009 when video footage emerged of him calling an Asian colleague "our little Paki friend."

The prince has also been pictured scuffling with a photographer and admitted to drinking underage and smoking marijuana at age 17, but has recently presented a more grown-up image and stood in for the queen at the Olympics closing ceremony.

A trained army helicopter pilot, he has expressed a strong interest in returning to serve in Afghanistan. His first stint there had to be cut short in 2008 when a media blackout was breached.

It is not the first time British royalty has been embarrassed by leaked photographs. A topless picture of the Countess of Wessex, taken before she married Prince Edward, hit the papers in 1999.

Sarah, Duchess of York, was also pictured having her feet kissed by US businessman John Bryan shortly after separating from her husband, the Duke of York.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.