Prince Harry

[FP]

I am appalled by the reaction to Prince Harry's gestapo outfit at a PRIVATE fancy dress party.  What on earth is going on in this country.  Why on earth should he apologise.  I am so fed up of political correctness in the Uk that I would really like to move out.  Surely people can dress up as 'baddies' as well as 'goodies' and what on earth has it got to do with anyone else what he was wearing except for the people at the party.  Any comments?

[archbishop]

Not iimpressed either by being quoted out of context.

[Philtaz]

 Do you really think that the majority of today's new Army Officer Cadets are any different to Harry?

 

Yes, very different.  They are not 3rd in line to the throne and most certainly would not have had the privileged upbringing he has had, with PR men, minders, bodyguards and flunkies. Yes he will be photographed, but that goes with the territory when you're part of the most famous dysfunctional family in the world.  Most would have probably researched their Regimental history and would have a knowledge of their Army predecessors and the sacrifices they made, especially infantry officers which is where I believe Harry wants to serve.  I daresay they've been involved in incidents of what was known in the Army as 'high spirits'(soldiers were always drunk, officers were involved in incidents of high spirits) but I think the Army would take a dim view had they been photographed wearing a Swastika.

Given his chosen career and his status within this Nation there would be certain things that one would consider way off limits. This happens to be one of them.

As I've said before, how can he stand in full uniform at the Cenotaph as a member of the Royal Family and pay homage to fallen comrades and the dead of two World Wars?  How can he remember 6 million Jews brutally exterminated by a regime that wore an armband similar to the one he wore in jest?

It's a sad reflection on society when a person of his status with a History 'A' level cannot be mindful of such sensibilities, sacrifices and atrocities when attending parties.

[Philtaz]

archbishop.

Everyone knows the  Army is run by Corporals.(Hitler, rather ironically in this case and Napoleon were Corporal's I believe.)

When did I quote you out of context?  I copied and pasted what you said, didn't I?

[FP]

I suppose, Philtaz, that I have no real feeling with regard to Harry being third in line to the throne, so you and I will have to differ on this.  Thanks for your discussion on this, we shall have to agree to differ. 

[archbishop]

Philtaz You don't work for the Sun or News of the World do you? Quoting out of context is not on old chap,

[Philtaz]

Thanks for the 'lively' debate FP!  G'night.

[cheyenne]

I  blame the Sun newspaper for all the media attention around the world.well done murdock ,did you sell a few more copies of your so called newspaper! lighten up everybody,my wifes jewish and she and her mother , think its all over the top.and yes she lost family in poland during the war .

[FP]

Hi Vinny,

I was hoping for a reply from someone jewish or with jewish friends or family who were affected in the war.  I am sure that for the most part they will think along the same lines as your wife and her mother.

[Dark Angel]

My personal opinion is that Prince Harry is being harshy treated. We evolve as people, therefore we go through a process of making faux pas before we can make reasonably correct decisions. Also, Prince Harry did this at a private party, not a state function, therefore there is a slight difference. 

[keen2learn]

Yes, it was tasteless, tactless and ill-advised. It hardly merits being treated as constitutional crisis, though, surely? I've been to parties dressed as a pirate (but I don't espouse rape and pillage on the high seas), a ghost (but I don't believe in them) and a queen (but I'm an anti-royalist - have to disagree with Bernardo there!). It was just thoughtless and perhaps immature costume choice, nothing more, nothing less. 

[potterfan3]

i agree with fp it's not exactly treason and people are saying it's the worst thing he but he's much wosrt that go to a fancy party

[luckyboy]

Hands up anyone who has never made a mistake, or acted like an ass just once in his life with or without alchohol, especially when you are in your teens, if i thought he was a nazi sympathiser i would lay into him big time, but he really is just a bit of a prat thats all. 

[Bangkok]

Berate him for the things that he deserves being berated for, such as going to every England rugby match in the world cup at great inconvenience to his hosts when he was supposed to be finding out about life as a teenager.

Berate his advisors for a poor decision, given that they should have known what the reaction would be like.  It doesn't really matter whether it was right or wrong, it does matter that so many displayed poor judgement.

[Wraith]

I agree with you FP. I think the whole thing has been blown out of all proportion. The media have made a mountain out of a mole-hill.

I've been to parties where people have dressed just the same, it's fancy dress after all. The more distressing thing to me is the fact that someone at the party, a so called friend, sold the picture to the press. Whatever happened to loyalty.

Prince Harry is human just like the rest of us and will make mistakes and bad judgements many more times. It's part of growing up, so let's just all get off his back and let him grow up, like we let our own children. He who never made a mistake never made anything.

 

The other point that everyone seems to be chirping on about is the bad timing of this in relation to the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. If that's the case then why is Mel Brooks 'The Producers' still on in Broadway? That must be far more upsetting.

[WaldoMcFroog]

A couple of clarifications: The Afrika Korp were regular army, and as such wouldn't have worn swastikas. The swastika as adopted by the Nazi party was reversed compared to the the traditional good luck symbol as used by Hindu's etc.

[luckyboy]

Reading the times today, it appears that according to the owner of the shop, harry wanted the black ss uniform, but they did not have it in his size, so instead had to make do with the afrika korp uniform, god imagine the reaction if he had worn that strip..

[LordyGeordie]

To be honest I think this is a big fuss over nothing. Although I haven't personally, I've been to loads of parties where people have dressed in Nazi fancy dress or even things like Ku Klux Klan. At all these parties there have been people from ethnic minorities who have taken it as it should be - a joke.

It was the Sun who broke that story and so natually they wanted to kick up as big a fuss as possible. If the Mirror had got the scoop, the Sun would be running editorials saying how the world was becoming too politically correct.

I agree it was a momentous mistake on the part of the prince and his advisors. They must have realised it could have had potentially bad side effects. But at the end of the day if it wasn't Prince Harry no one would turn a blind eye. As has been said before it's no worse than the Producers or All Allo.

Incidentally everybody says it was an Afrika Korps uniform. It wasn't. He was jsut wearing combat trousers and shirt with a swastika armband.

What I find more disasteful is the theme of the party which was something like Empire and Colonials. (How that fits in with Nazis I don't know). The party would appear to be a bunch of rich privately educated, privileged young people who are harking back to the dark days of empire.

[QmunkE]

After quickly browsing the replies to this question I was appalled to find people use the royal family as "role models". I would be disgusted if I was to have a child who would use a family whose only real claim to fame was being the descendants of scheming warmongers who grasped for power then and grasp for attention now.

Their social activities are less than appealing to me - affairs, brawling in nightclubs, and all the other less than extraordinary goings-on reported in the papers.

As to the original question - yes it is unfair that Harry was singled out in this fashion, yes it was possibly insensitive but his position and future career should not affect the fact - if it was wrong for him, it's wrong for anyone, and vice-versa.

[FP]

Three stars to everyone who has participated.  I am glad I posted this question.  You have given some really interesting replies.  Thanks.

[hopalong]

So FP  do you support what the Nazis did to millions of Jews.