Pictures of naked Prince Harry were published on a US website Wednesday, showing the grand­son of Britain's Queen Elizabeth cavorting with a nude woman in a hotel room in Las Vegas.

A royal source confirmed to Reuters that the two photos on the celebrity gossip website TMZ were of Harry, who has a reputation as a partying playboy and is often linked to an array of women in Britain's tabloids.

"He's been doing a lot of good work for the queen and getting a good reputation, and although a lot of people think this is a great laugh, it does actually bring the monarchy into disrepute and will embarrass the queen," said royal author Robert Jobson.

One snap showed Harry, third in line to the British throne, covering up his geni­tals with his hands while an apparently naked woman hides behind his back. The other pictured the naked 27-year-old prince clinging to a naked woman from behind.

"Prince Harry put the crown jewels on display in Vegas this weekend," TMZ said.

The prince, a British army Apache helicopter pilot, has been on a private holiday with friends in Las Vegas after com­pleting his final pilot's training ahead of a future deployment.

"We are not commenting specifically on the photos," a spokesman for the prince said.

Harry, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his late ex-wife Princess Diana, earned his reputation as a royal wild child after he admitted in 2002 to dabbling in marijuana and under-age drinking. Three years later he made headlines when he wore a Nazi uniform to a costume party.