Prince Harry gets endorsement, plea for privacy from palace

The story of Prince Harry in Las Vegas has longer legs than members of the bachelorette pool party he crashed during the recent romp. But he’s reportedly got the support of the palace behind him.

Nude photos of the prince surfaced online last week (in case you hadn’t heard), sparking Internet commentary and minor outrage over a wild night he spent in a hotel suite at the Wynn casino.

What started as a look in the other direction from the royal family has become an endorsement of Prince Charles’ youngest, and a plea for privacy.

“He didn’t do anything unlawful,” a palace source told People. “What he did was entirely his own business.”

And big business, too: Harry has dominated newspaper and tabloid covers in his native Britain and in the U.S, with social media exploding in his favor.

Cheeky Facebook fan page “Support Prince Harry With a Naked Salute” has given soldiers and civilians the platform to cover their own jewels (as Harry did in the snaps published first by TMZ) as a gesture of solidarity.

The only serious consequence from his Sin City adventure seems to be for an ineffective team of handlers, and a former royal honcho agrees that’s the only foul here.

“Harry is a big boy now,” Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection services, told People. “He knows the rules, but he thinks, ‘I’m going to do whatever I want.’”

ALSO:

Prince Harry and Ryan Lochte’s excellent Vegas adventure

Prince Harry’s security in trouble (but Ryan Lochte had a blast)

Prince Harry takes jewels home; palace uninspired to comment

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