Prince Harry in Vegas: Snapped frolicking in the nude

Prince Harry has a reputation as the playboy prince. Now there are photos to prove it -- straight from Las Vegas.

Celebrity gossip website TMZ posted photos online of Britain’s most eligible bachelor naked and cavorting with at least one nude woman in what reportedly is a Las Vegas VIP suite.

In one photo, the prince uses his hands to cover his privates while a naked woman wraps her arms around his middle. In a second photo, he appears to be playfully wrestling with a woman near a pool table, and is bent over her. (TMZ placed a red star over Harry’s exposed behind.)

PHOTOS: Facets of Prince Harry

The photos are apparently not in dispute. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Harry is indeed the strapping, red-headed fellow seen in the photos. The palace is declining further comment beyond saying that “Prince Harry is on a private holiday and is returning shortly.”

Harry has made headlines over the years for a variety of questionable incidents, including wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party, complete with armband. He apologized for doing so.

He was in Vegas this week taking a break from his military duties. He’d already made headlines with some of his late-night Sin City activities, such as challenging Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte to a race -- in a pool -- as several women looked on.

TMZ says that the images were taken after Harry and some of his buddies invited a “bevy of beauties” up to his VIP suite at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino last Friday.

At this time, there appears to be little outrage over the antics. the Telegraph, however, raises the question as to whether the nude photos violate British army rules that state “social misbehavior” is unacceptable: “Military codes of conduct warn officers that they must maintain high standards of professionalism ‘both on and off operations,’” the newspaper said.

Otherwise, reaction to the photos in Britain was precisely what you would expect. Very few expect much more from a handsome young man letting loose in a place like Vegas. In fact, many sounded a bit envious.

The Associated Press asked “an assortment of royal watchers and British subjects” about the photos. One construction worker was quoted as saying, “I’d be proud of him if he were my son,” while another stated the obvious: “He’s the prince. He can have any bird he wants!” Several women interviewed also rolled their eyes at the controversy. A child-care worker interviewed by the news service laughed at the uproar as she said: “He’s a lad, for God’s sake.”

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