The Sun is the only newspaper to break ranks with the rest of the British media who were warned not to print the saucy snaps by Palace lawyers.

Harry’s father Prince Charles and the royal family issued a warned yesterday via the Press Complaints Commission. However, The Sun decided to print the images three days after they appeared online.

The Sun justified the move by printing a long explanation around the point of view that the photos were in the public interest, saying “The many millions of people who get their news in print, or have no web access, could not take a full part in that national conversation because they could not see the images.”

The paper made a small concession to the prince’s privacy by helpfully covered up his bottom with a cartoon picture of a crown.

Originally published by gossip website TMZ, the grainy blurred images snapped by a partygoer were taken during a game of ‘strip billiards’ at the Las Vegas MGM Grand.

The Sun is the UK’s most popular newspaper with a circulation of 2,550,859 (recent figures from 2 Jul – 29 Jul 2012 – Source: ABC)

TV and radio presenter Danny Baker, referencing the recent grilling The Sun’s parent company News International faced and the News of the World scandal, said “The Sun is to print Prince Harry pics. Big deal boys. Your game’s over. You may as well print last week’s winning lottery numbers.”