Murdoch defends Prince Harry pics in Sun

• Tweet

LONDON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- News Corp. owner Rubert Murdoch said he ordered The Sun to publish naked pictures of Prince Harry to make a point about free press in Britain.

The media mogul took to Twitter, saying it was wrong of Prince Charles' personal solicitors, Harbottle & Lewis, to warn newspapers not to publish the nude photos of Prince Harry partying in Las Vegas, The Guardian reported.

"Needed to demonstrate no such thing as free press in the UK. Internet makes mockery of these issues. [First] amendment please," Murdoch tweeted.

The Sun initially complied with the media blackout of the photographs Thursday, but by Friday printed them because they were widely available on the Internet, The Guardian said.

MP Louise Mensch backed Murdoch's decision, saying that since Prince Harry is paid with taxpayer money, the publication of such photos are of public interest.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said The Sun was wrong to publish the photos.

"Personally I cannot see what the public interest was in publishing those," he said. "But we have a free press and I don't think it is right for politicians to tell newspaper editors what they can and cannot publish. That must be a matter for the newspaper editors."