The tabloid "The Sun" publishes the nude photos of Prince Harry in Las Vegas "in the name of general interest"
The British Royal House had announced its intention to denounce the media that disseminated the images
The British newspaper The Sun published on Friday, against the express will of the royal family, some naked photos of Prince Henry, in the name of the "general interest", a decision approved by some and denounced by others as a way to earn money. easy.
On Thursday, The Sun, like the other British media, with the exception of a political blog, did not publish the photos of the naked prince, taken last weekend during a party in Las Vegas.
The Sun, under a title that evoked "the jewels of the crown", put on the front page two employees of the newspaper in exactly the same position and with the same type of pendant and bracelet that the prince wears in the photos.
But on Friday, the newspaper finally decided to publish the real photos of the prince, which circulated profusely on the network, announcing: "The naked photos of Harry already seen on the internet."
We act "despite the warnings of the royal family's lawyers," acknowledges The Sun in an editorial, both because the photos are everywhere and in the name "of a very clear general interest", mainly in terms of image of the United Kingdom as well as the prince's security.
David Dinsmore, one of those responsible for the newspaper, explained his motivations in a video uploaded to the newspaper's website.
The new challenge of this newspaper of the Murdoch empire, to which the News of The World newspaper also belonged, which had to close after the scandal of the wiretapping of celebrities, was welcomed this Friday in different ways.
The royal family recalled that it had "clearly stated its opinion on Prince Henry's right to privacy" on Wednesday, but that "the press regulates itself and that the publication of the photos was ultimately his (the press) decision. ».
According to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), the press watchdog, the royal family had not filed any lawsuits against the newspaper, unlike some 60 disgruntled individuals, who did.
Chris Hutchings, an attorney specializing in private life torts, felt that The Sun had taken "a calculated risk" as, in his opinion, the prince would prefer to give up a lawsuit before being the victim of our revelations.
Even Rupert Murdoch's daughter, Elisabeth, a television producer, who does not always agree with the rest of the family, defended the publication of these photos: “If newspapers cannot publish photos that everyone has seen on the internet, this raises questions about the future of the written press. '
Chris Blackhurst, editor-in-chief of the Independent, stressed, on the contrary, that his newspaper did not want to publish the "private" photos of a "young man who is not doing anything wrong or illegal", and that he simply acted "as they do every weekend Readers of The Sun during bachelor parties, without fear of being on the front page of the newspapers.
Many publishers accused The Sun of having primarily wanted to make money.
"The only thing they care about is money, money, money," said Labor Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. Opinion shared by specialist press lawyer Mark Lewis: "I'm sure The Sun will sell well today."
