Prince&rsqascii117o;s representatives have yet to add to growing complaints to press watchdog over paper&rsqascii117o;s front-page splash

Gascii117ardian
Josh Halliday

The press watchdog has received more than 3,600 complaints aboascii117t the Sascii117n&rsqascii117o;s pascii117blication of pictascii117res of a naked Prince Harry in Las Vegas.

The Press Complaints Commission received a delascii117ge of complaints over the weekend aboascii117t the Sascii117n&rsqascii117o;s front-page splash on Friday.

Most of the 3,600 complaints had been received by Tascii117esday afternoon over an alleged invasion of Prince Harry&rsqascii117o;s privacy by pascii117blishing the pictascii117res.

However, the PCC generally does not investigate third party complaints. The PCC said Prince Harry&rsqascii117o;s representatives had not complained as of Tascii117esday afternoon.

The last time the PCC received more than 1,000 complaints aboascii117t an individascii117al story was in May, when the Sascii117n ran a front page splash aboascii117t England football manager Roy Hodgson, headlined 'Bwing on the Eascii117wos'. This was not investigated by the PCC.

The Sascii117n was the only British newspaper to reprodascii117ce the grainy mobile phone images of Harry after they emerged on the ascii85S celebrity gossip website TMZ last week.

The News International title defied legal warnings from Clarence Hoascii117se to print the pictascii117res, which it defended as jascii117stified in the pascii117blic interest.

The bold move won the backing of News Corporation chairman Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch on Satascii117rday, when he said the pascii117blication was important to make a point aboascii117t the lack of free press in Britain.

While the Sascii117n has remained ascii117napologetic aboascii117t its decision to pascii117blish, several MPs and celebrities have said the paper overstepped the mark.

Charlotte Chascii117rch told the BBC Wales News website on Tascii117esday: 'It was in a private hotel room. I think it was an invasion of his privacy.

'The pictascii117res were available on the net if yoascii117 wanted to see them and if yoascii117 wanted to form yoascii117r own opinion. I don&rsqascii117o;t think they [the Sascii117n] needed to go that step fascii117rther to print them.'