Prince Harry pics draw a flood of complaints — and naked salutes

After looking at a lot of Prince Harry, a lot of people are now looking out for Prince Harry: Britain’s Press Complaints Commission has reportedly received thousands of complaints regarding publication of naked pictures of the third in line to the throne.

Not yet among the complainants: reps for Harry himself, which complicates things when it comes to investigating the situation, according to the Guardian.

The Sun printed the now-infamous Vegas snapshots on its cover Friday with an explanation that of why it was “vital for us to run them� and a story detailing the prince’s holiday. Though the shots have been online via TMZ since last Tuesday, the British media had to that point respected a palace request not to publish.

PHOTOS: Royalty takes in the London Olympic Games

By Tuesday, 3,600 people had complained, primarily saying that the shots were an invasion of the prince’s privacy, the Guardian reported. News Corp. honcho Rupert Murdoch on Saturday tweeted, “Simple equation: free, open uncontrollable Internet versus shackled newspapers equals no newspapers. Let’s get real.�

That was after he urged his followers to give Prince Harry “a break.�

“He may be on the public payroll one way or another, but the public loves him, even to enjoy Las Vegas.�

That love was definitely on display on Facebook, in the group Support Prince Harry with a Naked Salute, where current or former members of the military are invited to post pictures of themselves naked, saluting, in solidarity with the royal rebel.

“This is for fun, friendly harmless fun to support Prince Harry, if you cause offence you will be removed immediately,� wrote Jordan Wylie, creator of the group. “Please respect the rules, keep it clean, cover your crown jewels and royal assets and show us your best salute, thank you for your continued support -- We salute you Prince Harry.�

(It’s worth an amusing peek, if you can handle more nearly-naked but generally patriotic pictures. Wait to look till you leave the office, perhaps?)

Meanwhile, invasion of privacy or not, Harry’s reportedly in hot water with the Army, with one military source telling the Sun that while he would receive a “fair hearing,� he was likely to be reprimanded and encouraged to make a donation of two weeks’ salary to charity.

“There won’t be any shouting and ranting, but Harry will be reminded that he has overstepped the mark. ... Harry will be reminded that he is the holder of the Queen’s Commission and with that comes a certain responsibility, which also extends into private life.�

Harry, a helicopter pilot, is a captain in the Army.

ALSO:

PHOTOS: Royal wedding by the numbers

Prince Harry: dancing, diving and partying in Croatia

Prince Harry and Ryan Lochte’s excellent Vegas adventure

Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs and on Facebook facebook.com/ministryofgossip.

PHOTOS AND MORE:

PHOTOS: Celebrity portraits by The Times