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?

[FP]

Jimmer, You did not cause offence, honestly!  I appreciate your dictionary definition though.  It takes a lot for me to take offence at anything - I've been around too long.  Best wishes.

[Miss Zippy]

This whole manufactured outrage perpetrated by the media offends me more than anything else.  Haven�t nearly 140,000 people just lost their lives in the tsunami?  Is Harry�s misdemeanour really that newsworthy in the grand scheme of things?  No to me it isn�t and unless I just happen to know, work and live with particularly hardened individuals, I don�t actually know anyone who has been offended by Harry�s actions.  Of course he�s been stupid, but there are bigger and uglier things going on in the world at the moment that cause me to be upset and offended.

[Flanker8]

Ridiculous - the 'medya' has gone typically over the top: if the Jewish council can forgive him, can't quite see why so many other people have become so indignant.

 

As a republican I would like to see the end of their parasitic, privileged way of life, and forgive me but I simply can't accept that these people are better than you and me just simply through an accident of birth, but, I feel dreadfully sorry for these two boys, particularly Harry being under constant scrutiny: for what its worth, my advice to Harry would be to stick his two fingers up at everybody, tell them to eff off, disappear from the public eye and then live the life of riley on the money he inherited from his mother.

[OBonio]

Why can't he or anyone else dress as a Nazi?  Anyone thinking that he is in some way condoning what happened during the war must be out of their mind.  A fancy dress party is a place to have fun.  Relax.  Not to take things completely out of context like the media have.  It's an utter disgrace to this county's intellect to report on this sort of thing.

[andy hughes]

Hello oBonio. Anyone can dress as they want, anywhere, any time. Ecept the Royal Family and similalry high profile individuals. It's not right, but that's the way it is. No-one has, or is suggesting that harry wore the outfit because he is a nazi sympethiser - indeed if he had the courage of his convicitons, as the Duke of Windsor did, he could be respected for them. No, he was either arrogant, or naive, and unfortunately he is old enough and educated enough to be neither. At a Palace party, where only close friends are allowed, no worries. At a friend's party, it was a massive error of judgement, on the part of Harry's advisors and close friends, as well as the prince himself.

Unfortunately, he lacks the maturity comensurate with his age, education, and position, to apologise properly to the people he has (unintentionally, maybe) offended. Wearing the costume may have been an error - refusing to apologise is crass and pigheaded. Throughout this circumstance the Royals and their advisors in general and Harry and his in particular, emerge with no common sense, awareness, sensitivity, or willingness to accept that simple stupidity can have serious consequences.

If the Royals want this matter dealt with, make Harry apologise like he means it, and let him be the man, and Royal, he is, instead of picking and choosing the bits of royal privilige he likes, and sticking too fingers up to the bits he doesn't.

[greenday]

The guy is an idiot. Don't make comparisons with him going dressed as a Roman as there are still survivors of the death camps etc around today, you will be pushed to find anyone personally affected by the Romans still living.

I think he should make a personal apology, as for all we know that written statement could have come from anyone.

I agree with what Philatz says.

I'm surprised so many people are backing him to be honest. Perhaps those who are backing him should watch some documentaries or read some books and you too might be find his 'joke' a little hard to take.

[FP]

Donaldon.  I was born just after the war and have heard many first hand accounts of the atrocities.  I have watched many documentaries and read several books.  I am very well aware of what went on and am aware that atrocities such as this are still going on in the world.  It does still not change my opinion of this episode with Harry.  I was not a joke, it was a Fancy Dress Party - I wonder how many fancy dress parties have been attended by 'Hilters' and 'Bin Ladens' - quite a few I should suppose.  The boy should have a private life and I am glad his father is playing down the whole issue as well.  What a lot of fuss about so little!

[Philtaz]

Cheers Donaldson.

Tell me, how many people would have been offended if Harry had gone to the party wearing an orange jump suit whilst  handcuffed, with his brother standing behind him with a plastic knife wearing a balacalva?

 

Just because his 'party dress' wasn't currently topical doesn't excuse his actions.  Everyone knows the stigma attached to a Swastika armband and he should issue a frank and personal statement of apology.

[Philtaz]

P.S.

 

I've been to Dachau and Bergen-Belsen.  There is nothing 'funny' or 'fancy dress' about a Swastika worn by a member of the Royal Family.

 

Maybe that's why it is still an offence to display a swastika in Germany to this day.

[Sludge]

The Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp (also known as  Dora-Nordhausen or Nordhausen) was in central Germany in the southern Harz Mountains. It was originally a subcamp of Buchenwald. It was enclosed by an electrified barbed-wire fence with a crematoria located inthe north of the camp. In October 1944, the SS made Dora an independent concentration camp. Allied air raids obliged the Germans to  construct of an underground production facility at Dora to produce Weapons of Retaliation (Vergeltungswaffen). Prisoners in the Dora-Mittelbau camp were thereafter kept mostly underground, deprived of daylight and fresh air, were forced to dig vast unstable tunnels and imprisoned in the unstable tunnels. The mortality rate was higher than at most other concentration camps. Dora-Mittelbau had a rolling prisoner population of at least 12,000. In May 1944 I had to go to Dora to assist in identifying two 6 stone live hairless skeletons who had total amnesia. They were two young service women colleagues. Some of the SS guards were held in captivity nearby. Those I saw looked well fed and normal. All wore Swastika armbands. 

[brawburd]

not being lazy here, just couldn't put my opinions any better than Andy Hughes has.  Therefore, ditto Andy!

[archbishop]

Sludge Not sure where the relevance of what you are saying comes into the question. But most of your answers leave me totally bemused.

FP Totally agree with what you are saying  and it might have gone over peoples heads that the swastika is an ancient symbol of luck. Which is why The Nationalist Socialist Party adopted it. Much luck it gave them though.

Andy Hughes I am surprised at your responses.But am glad that you brought up that it was an Afrika Korps uniform with a swastika armband. So at least he was historically correct.

So when he puts on a British Army uniform that will be OK will it? We invented concentration camps for God's sake. The Nazis may have refined the system for which the politicians in the West at the time knew about and declined to do anything. Who's guilty? Us for not doing anything or the Nazis for going ahead?

Get real folks. Ridicule will kill any despot off.

Fancy dress parties are fun and a form of ridicule.

Go for it Harry. 

[lodekka]

Well paraphrased, Sludge.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleI d=10005322

[Philtaz]

 Who's guilty? Us for not doing anything or the Nazis for going ahead?

I think you'll find the 'us' did do something.  As I said earlier hundreds of thousands of British servicemen(and countless others from other nations) gave their lives fighting those who wore the Swastika.  As I also said Harry will(unfortunately) wear that same British uniform.  By sporting a Swastika he at the very least besmirches the memory of those who fought and died in that very same uniform, which is utterly disgraceful.

 

If he had any honour at all he would abandon his plans for a career in the Forces.  After all, how can he give orders, guidance and welfare to a platoon of 30 men whom will doubtless have no respect fo him whatsoever? This episode will haunt him for years to come.  The men under his command will always be sniggering in corners and in a tight spot will always second guess any judgement calls he makes in light of his severe lack of judgement in this case.

[FP]

Sorry, gremlins again:

Philtaz, I quite honestly believe this incident will be forgotten very, very quickly.  He was a young (and 20 is very young) man at a party with his mates.  Listening to an earlier news programme tonight I am delighted that most of the general public seem to feel as I do!

[Philtaz]

I disagree FP.  The public may forget the incident in a day or two but in a barrack room or 'out in the field' the soldiers under his command will remind themselves of it constantly throughout his career.  As a result of his propensity for making the wrong sort of headlines in the tabloids they will always be mindful of his pot smoking, paprazzi fighting, exam cheating(allegedlyTAKE NOTE AB Ed!), Swastika wearing shortcomings.

I certainly wouldn't want him as my platoon commander in Iraq or any other trouble spot where he will be required to make command decisions that will affect the lives of those he 'leads'.

[FP]

Philtaz,  Do you really think that the majority of today's new Army Officer Cadets are any different to Harry?  I know quite a few and they are young rogues, but I bet they 'grow up' to make great officers.  Everybody, including Harry, deserves to enjoy their youth.  I honestly believe many of us with mispent youths grow up all the better for it!  We learn by our mistakes.

[archbishop]

PHiltaz you sound like a disgruntled squaddie. As you should know the Army is run by the Sergeants.