Norway's royal couple defend son's photo-sharing use in wake of security concerns

(CBS News) Prince Harry isn't the only royal caught up in a photo "scandal."

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are coming to their son's defense after he posted a series of private family pictures on Instagram, according to Hello! magazine.

For months, the 15-year-old Marius Borg Hoiby uploaded photos from the royal family's travels online, revealing the GPS coordinates of their whereabouts. When Norwegian newspaper, VG, called the photo-sharing move a security risk, the family was quick to fire back in a letter to the paper.

In the note, the royal couple defended Marius, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship.

Arguing that it's "difficult to see" his social media actions as a "security risk," the couple called the paper's article "speculative, over-dimensioned and without substance at the cost of a child of 15 years."

"We react strongly that you are exposing our child in this manner," the Norwegian royals wrote, reports Hello!. "For us, it's very important to shield our children against an undisciplined public spotlight because we believe it can be a heavy burden and damaging. All children have a right to be protected against that."

The couple noted that the family's events and engagements are revealed 14 days in advance, so it's not difficult to pinpoint their exact location at any given time.

"The programs are often detailed down to the minute and the place," they explained. "This is a security risk we live with every day, every year, an entire life."

Marius' photos are no longer available online.