Prince Harry's first public outing since nude photo furore
Britain's Prince Harry in high spirits at a London award ceremony to recognise the courage of seriously ill children and the doctors and nurses who care for them.
It's the first public engagement for the prince since naked photos of him sparked headlines around the world when they appeared on a U.S. website last month.
The prince is patron of the WellChild organisation and was at the event to present an award.
Looking relaxed and joking with the youngsters, Harry at one point had to persuade six-year-old Alex Logan not to bring up his recent misdemeanour.
But the third in line to the British throne couldn't help a small laugh when mentioning his well-known lack of shyness.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE HARRY, SAYING:
"But never one for being shy in coming forward, I'll give it a go. (LAUGHS, CROWD CHEERS)... It may seem an odd thing to say after the patriotic euphoria of the Olympics and during the Paralympics, but I think it's you that represent the very best of Britain."
The grainy pictures show the 27-year-old grandson of Elizabeth II cavorting with a nude young woman in a hotel room in Las Vegas.
Newspapers in Britain decided not to publish the photos after the prince's representatives called for his privacy to be respected.
Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper did eventually defy appeals from Royal lawyers, printing the real photos after first running a mock-up using actors.
Over 3-and-a-half thousand people have since complained to the UK's press watchdog over the Sun's printing of the photos, mainly on grounds of invasion of privacy.
It's the first public engagement for the prince since naked photos of him sparked headlines around the world when they appeared on a U.S. website last month.
The prince is patron of the WellChild organisation and was at the event to present an award.
Looking relaxed and joking with the youngsters, Harry at one point had to persuade six-year-old Alex Logan not to bring up his recent misdemeanour.
But the third in line to the British throne couldn't help a small laugh when mentioning his well-known lack of shyness.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE HARRY, SAYING:
"But never one for being shy in coming forward, I'll give it a go. (LAUGHS, CROWD CHEERS)... It may seem an odd thing to say after the patriotic euphoria of the Olympics and during the Paralympics, but I think it's you that represent the very best of Britain."
The grainy pictures show the 27-year-old grandson of Elizabeth II cavorting with a nude young woman in a hotel room in Las Vegas.
Newspapers in Britain decided not to publish the photos after the prince's representatives called for his privacy to be respected.
Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper did eventually defy appeals from Royal lawyers, printing the real photos after first running a mock-up using actors.
Over 3-and-a-half thousand people have since complained to the UK's press watchdog over the Sun's printing of the photos, mainly on grounds of invasion of privacy.