Britain's press watchdog has rejected a complaint by Prince Harry over a tabloid newspaper article that said wild animals pictured in photos he posted on Instagram had been drugged and tied up.

Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, posted the pictures he had taken of African wildlife on his Instagram account, which then had 5.6 followers, to mark Earth Day and highlight conservation efforts.

But the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported last April that the photos had not revealed the full story. It said the animals involved had been tranquilized and that a picture of an elephant in Malawi had been edited so that it was not possible to see there was a rope around its hind legs.