Prince Harry and the Swastika

[livius drusus]

It seems Prince Harry was photographed wearing Nazi gear during a costume party two weeks before 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and it's pissed a lot of people off. From the Reuter's story:

"This was a shameful act displaying insensitivity for the victims, not just for those soldiers of his own country who gave their lives to defeat Nazism but to the victims of the Holocaust ..," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center.

He added in a statement: "We strongly urge Prince Harry to accompany the British delegation on January 27th to the Auschwitz death camp to commemorate 60 years since liberation. There he will see the results of the hated symbol he so foolishly and brazenly chose to wear."

The Nazis murdered six million Jews and millions of others including Poles, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners and Gypsies. Millions more were imprisoned or forced to work as slaves.

Photographs of the younger son of the late Princess Diana and heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles in Nazi attire appeared in the Sun newspaper in Britain, as well as in Israeli papers and on Web sites around the world.

Harry, third in line to the throne, said in a statement he was sorry if he had caused any offence. "It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize," he said.

Honestly, it didn't strike me as such a horrible thing. Stupid given his position, yes, but a shameful display of insensitivity to victims of the Holocaust? That seems like something of an overstatement to me. I'm not sure, though, because there are lots of ramifications to consider.

What do y'all think? Does the fact that the "Windsor" family is actually the Saxe-Coburg Gotha family play a part in the reaction, even now, almost a century after they changed their name? Reuters tosses it out there at the end of the article as a little fyi. Was it just the hideous timing or are Nazi costumes just a really crappy idea for anyone in the British royal family/government to sport no matter when? How about the current neo-Nazi groups in Europe? Is a picture of a prince of England wearing a swastika armband more ominous because he looks like them?

Here's the pic on the front page of the Sun, btw.

[Corwin]

Very stupid. Forget tasteless. Just plain stupid.

Considering his family history..... what the hell was he thinking?

[wildernesse]

I think it was a bit foolish for him to wear it. But, it was a costume party. I think it would be tasteless for anyone to show up as a Nazi to a costume party, IMO.

[livius drusus]

You think, wildy? I can see something a la "The Great Dictator" being okay at a costume party.

Not that that was the angle he was playing, mind you. I read in another article that the theme of the party was "Native and Colonial" (William in leopard skin. ) which is pretty poor taste as it is, but it makes Harry's costume look even more random and creepy. Calling it a Rommel's Afrika Corps outfit in order to squeeze it into the theme smells bullshitty to me.

[wildernesse]

Eh, I would be uncomfortable with someone showing up dressed as a Nazi at a costume party. For it to be ok for me, everyone would have to know each other really, really well. As in--we (everyone) know you're not a real Nazi or supportive of those ideas, and you just like to push people's buttons, but because we know you so well, you're not pushing ours although we might pretend to keep you happy. Even then, I probably wouldn't be all that ok--there are things that are impossible to take lightly, especially as outsiders.

[D. Scarlatti]

Afrika Corps? What was he thinking.

The SS get-up is better suited to a ginger complexion.

[viscousmemories]

Maybe they were out of KKK costumes.

[ceptimus]

Was it his great-great uncle who was photographed with Hitler?

Even if the prince is stupid (which wouldn't be his fault, of course) you would have thought that by now, he would have learnt to ask one of his trusted servants for advice. There must be plenty of equerries, footmen, butlers and so on, who would have told him, "That's a fucking stupid idea, Sir." when asked.

He has a long history of stupid gaffes: getting caught taking soft drugs and beating up a photographer being the most memorable prior to this one.

I blame the inbreeding. Vive la revolution! Where did I put that axe?

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Scarlatti

The SS get-up is better suited to a ginger complexion.

Basic black is the redhead's best friend. That's just a known fact.

Originally Posted by ceptimus

He has a long history of stupid gaffes: getting caught taking soft drugs and beating up a photographer being the most memorable prior to this one.

Now, now, cep; he only headbutted that photographer.

Good point about the handlers thing (although I suspect their genetic lines are more bamboo than elm too). I guess in the end he just didn't give a rat's ass about the potential ramifications. All that bong resin clogs the synapses, I suppose.

[Corwin]

Was it his great-great uncle who was photographed with Hitler?

That's how I figured the relationship. Edward VIII. Basically got manipulated into abdicating because the fact that he was a Nazi sympathizer scared the hell out of parliament.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Basic black is the redhead's best friend. That's just a known fact.

Nope. Magenta, hands down.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by Corwin

That's how I figured the relationship. Edward VIII. Basically got manipulated into abdicating because the fact that he was a Nazi sympathizer scared the hell out of parliament.

Not because he married a non-royal, an American?

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

Nope. Magenta, hands down.

Only to the gym, Ginger.

[BigBlue2]

Originally Posted by warrenly

Not because he married a non-royal, an American?

He would have probably gotten away with it if that had been all. But she was a divorcee and you can't have that, old chap. After all, it's 1936 and people have standards, eh what?

As for Harry, wearing a Nazi uniform was a stupid, ignorant, moronic and insensitive thing to do and he deserves the pasting that he's getting. As the article in livius's OP points out:

The Nazis murdered six million Jews and millions of others including Poles, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners and Gypsies. Millions more were imprisoned or forced to work as slaves.

The Nazis also started the bloodiest war in human history. It is not something that should be trivialised, and certainly not by a dickhead like Harry Windsor.

[CARLA]

Not the brightest move on his part..

His has apologized for his blunder, he is young, hopefully he has learned from this mistake..

[Godless Dave]

As is usual with the British press vis a vis the British royal family, they are making much ado about almost nothing. If only they were half as attentive to Tony Blair's dishonesty and corruption.

[Kilted_Canuck]

He's an idiot, but the way Lizzie is holding up its doubtful Charlie will ever sit on the throne before needing a hemherroid cushion, and William will probably have heir's produced before Harry will ever get a shot at it. Not that the Monarch can do anything...but i think most of the Commonwealth would be a little worried knowing someone as irresponsible as that is the only one that can officially ratify bills into law.

[Corwin]

Originally Posted by warrenly

Not because he married a non-royal, an American?

That was the excuse. The idea was that since both of her previous husbands were still alive.... the marriage would be adulterous by anglican standards... and since he was the head of the church of england, that'd just look really bad.

However, as has been posted, he'd probably have gotten away with it if his Nazi tendencies hadn't scared the holy livin shit out of the PM and members of his family. (They'd have worked something out.)

[LadyShea]

I feel sorry for him. That he has grown up without the thoughtful guidance needed to create good judgement is a sad thing. Poor kid just made an incredibly stuipd call and has to now face the consequences. As someone else said, hopefully he learned something.

The party theme itself is just as offensive IMO. 'Native and Colonials' ? Sounds like a theme from 1905 not 2005.

Of course, when the next sex or drug scandal breaks amongst the royals, this will be forgotten. Their whole tabloid news universe over there amazes me...the country is so tiny.

[livius drusus]

Agreed on all counts, Shea. The party theme is just gross. I wonder if there were lil' aristocrats in blackface running around with bones through their stylish nose piercings.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Kilted_Canuck

He's an idiot, but the way Lizzie is holding up its doubtful Charlie will ever sit on the throne before needing a hemherroid cushion, and William will probably have heir's produced before Harry will ever get a shot at it. Not that the Monarch can do anything...but i think most of the Commonwealth would be a little worried knowing someone as irresponsible as that is the only one that can officially ratify bills into law.

I've seen enough BlackAdder to know they've had far worse. Seriously though, I think the Queen and the Pope should trade places. She's never going to die and he's on his last legs. It would work on so many levels.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

I feel sorry for him. That he has grown up without the thoughtful guidance needed to create good judgement is a sad thing. Poor kid just made an incredibly stuipd call and has to now face the consequences. As someone else said, hopefully he learned something.

He's 20 years old, I don't really think you can blame his parents or whoever has been raising him since Diana died for his callousness. It seems more likely to me he's just narcissistic and/or an ass.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

He's 20 years old, I don't really think you can blame his parents or whoever has been raising him since Diana died for his callousness. It seems more likely to me he's just narcissistic and/or an ass.

Certainly it's possible he is flat out a pompous ass, or maybe going through the dickheaded and moronic stage many guys go through in his age group. It is also possible that he simply doesn't give a shit that he is "royal" given the extremely slim likelyhood he will ever sit on the throne, or that he purposefully tries to shock people, or he wants to cause the royal family to look bad due to some grudge.

There are lots of possible motivations for pulling such a boneheaded move, I simply prefer to think he is misguided and lacks judgement as everything I have heard about him or seen from him in interviews points to a reasonably nice young man who is sorta "lost".

[Clutch Munny]

I am a basically decent person.

If someone had followed me around with a Handycam during my whole adolescent and adult life so far, there would be far more than enough episodes recorded to make that claim appear utterly absurd.

[viscousmemories]

Actually I shouldn't have said "it's more likely that...", because I really don't have anywhere near enough information to make any assumptions about his character. In fact it's entirely possible his costume was a deliberate attempt to illuminate the absurdity of a colonial/native party theme by dressing as the leader of another country who once sought to conquer the world.