Rupert Murdoch asks public to give Prince Harry a break over naked photos

Rupert Murdoch, left, and Prince Harry.

/ Getty

(CBS News) Rupert Murdoch says the public should give Prince Harry a break over those nude photos taken in Las Vegas.

The media mogul took to Twitter over the weekend to defend the 27-year-old prince - and offered him some advice.

Pictures: Prince Harry
Pictures: His "bad boy" behavior
Pictures: Royal scandals
Pictures: What doesn't stay in Vegas

"Prince Harry. Give him a break," Murdoch tweeted on Saturday. "He may be on the public payroll one way or another, but the public loves him, even to enjoy Las Vegas."

The next day, the 81-year-old added, "Only lesson for Prince Harry: avoid playmates with cameras!"

The tweets came days after Murdoch's Sun tabloid defied the wishes of Britain's royal family and became the first U.K. paper to publish the photos. It justified the move by saying the pictures were already online, and that there was a public interest in knowing what the prince was doing abroad.

Murdoch also defended the decision on Twitter: "Simple equation: free, open uncontrollable Internet versus shackled newspapers equals no newspapers. Let's get real."

25 Photos

Prince Harry

[tomsj2]

Remind me why I care what Rupert Murdoch thinks about anything....

[HandyAndy5]

"The next day, the 81-year-old added, "Only lesson for Prince Harry: avoid playmates with cameras!"

Or 81-year-olds who pay millions for incriminating pictures, huh, Rupert? I'm sure the Queen is delighted with YOUR trashy behavior.

[nfission]

Big deal, so Prince Harry paraded around in his birthday suit. I think we have a lot more important things to worry about other than someone's nudity, even if he is a prince, he is a merely a human being.