Prince Harry: History Teachers to Blame?

[John Simkin]

There has been a great deal of fuss about Prince Harry wearing a Nazi uniform to a party. I believe it has also made the headlines in Europe and America.

It is interesting that the public spend £12,000 a week of wages of people who are supposed to be looking after him. Did they not realize how offensive the wearing of this uniform would be? Or does he say something about the people they employ as his advisers. In the 1920s and 1930s MI5 recruited staff from right-wing political group (that is how Philby, Burgess and MacLean got recruited). Maybe that is what the royal family now do.

I see that history teachers are getting the blame for his behaviour. They claim that some recent survey shows that a high percentage of young people know nothing about the Holocaust. It is being argued that Harry falls into this category. That’s what you get when you don’t send your kids to state schools.

[Pamela Brown]

Since the "Windsors" are actually German they have perhaps minimized all the negative aspects of the Nazis and the Holocaust in WWII. I would have to question his home environment as well as what Harry has been taught in school. It is extremely distressing either way.

Pamela

[Guest]

  I would have to question his home environment as well as what Harry has been taught in school.  It is extremely distressing either way.

Pamela

What is actually really "distressing" is the absurd over reaction to young Harry Hewitt's essentially silly and predictable behaviour from the assorted left and right wing nonsenses writing newspaper columns and polluting our TV screens today........ all of which conspires to make us believe that whatever this ridiculous family does or says is somehow newsworthy and important

[Pamela Brown]

all of which conspires to make us believe that whatever this ridiculous family does or says is somehow newsworthy and important.

Too bad you can't elect monarchy; oh well, maybe it wouldn't make any difference.

Pamela

[John Simkin]

What is actually really "distressing" is the absurd over reaction to young Harry Hewitt's essentially silly and predictable behaviour from the assorted left and right wing nonsenses writing newspaper columns and polluting our TV screens today........ all of which conspires to make us believe that whatever this ridiculous family does or says is somehow newsworthy and important

I disagree. I could have done without photographs and film of him packing parcels for people suffering in Asia. However, I think the incident tells us a great deal about the monarchy. Harry might be daft enough not to realize how insulting it is for anyone (other than an actor) to wear a Nazi uniform. But he selected the uniform with the future king of England. What does the incident tells us about Harry's advisers and protectors who must have been aware of what he did?

By the way that is the first time I have seen him referred to as "Harry Hewitt". You naughty boy. This could get you sent to the Tower.

[Pamela Brown]

However, I think the incident tells us a great deal about the monarchy. Harry might be daft enough not to realize how insulting it is for anyone (other than an actor) to wear a Nazi uniform. But he selected the uniform with the future king of England. What does the incident tells us about Harry's advisers and protectors who must have been aware of what he did?

That is the point, isn't it? What was the process by which Harry ended up being comfortable wearing that uniform anywhere? (Ironically, it could have been even worse, couldn't it? Harry was wearing the brown shirt and arm band of the Nazi, but could have gone for the even more sinister SS).

In addition, the Windsors are in the news around the world, whether we like it or not. I cannot help but wonder what the process would have been had his mother still been alive. I believe she would have been geniunely horrified at even the thought.

Pamela

[Guest]

I think the incident tells us a great deal about the monarchy. Harry might be daft enough not to realize how insulting it is for anyone (other than an actor) to wear a Nazi uniform. But he selected the uniform with the future king of England. What does the incident tells us about Harry's advisers and protectors who must have been aware of what he did?

The only thing this incident reveals to us about the monarchy is that far too many people who really ought to know better are apparently obsessed with the institution and the 'special qualities' of the Royals.

Here is a case in point:

I cannot help but wonder what the process would have been had his mother still been alive. I believe she would have been geniunely horrified at even the thought.

Royal families are not chosen by God, they do not have a right to rule, nor so we have a duty to obey them. They are not imbued with super human qualities, they are just a weak and silly as the rest of us and are just as prone to making stupid mistakes. They are not people we should look up to or expect to look up to in any shape or form.

Those of us who oppose this anachronistic institution should do so on firmer ground than that offered by either John or Pamela

[Derek McMillan]

Well the media over-reaction pushed serious news off the front pages of serious newspaper. Murdoch's disgusting little sheet can hardly qualify.

The BBC and Channel 4 drew attention to Edward 7's preferences and Mark Steel mentioned Princess Michael of Kent to draw attention to the extreme right wing views of the inbred degenerate parasites (pardon my French!)

A curious reaction in some media commentaries to suggest he was just a child though. Just a child of 20?

Oh Harry Hewitt - that is rather below the belt

[Pamela Brown]

Royal families are not chosen by God, they do not have a right to rule, nor so we have a duty to obey them. They are not imbued with super human qualities, they are just a weak and silly as the rest of us and are just as prone to making stupid mistakes. They are not people we should look up to or expect to look up to in any shape or form.

Oh dear, looks like I'm living in the wrong country, and maybe you are too.

I find it simpler to acknowledge those who are in the public eye for whatever reason, and address issues about them on that level. Nobody is saying they are perfect; however, they ought to have enough sense to deal with the impact that what they do or say or wear has on countless others.

You seem to think fame ought only to belong to the righteous. Not where I come from. Randy Moss stole the attention from the Vikings win over the GB Packers last week because of his post TD antics, not the great catch he made. This is the real world -- why try to change it?

Pamela

[John Simkin]

Those of us who oppose this anachronistic institution should do so on firmer ground than that offered by either John or Pamela

I am willing to have a debate on the merits of having a monarchy. I agree that there are much stronger reasons for having a republic than the behaviour of Harry Hewitt. However, that does not mean that the case should not be discussed. Especially as it tells us so much about the monarchy.

There was an interesting interview with Maud Franklin, the shop owner who hired out the costume to Harry yesterday. Franklin stated that Harry really wanted to wear the black uniform of the SS. However, they did not have one in his size..

It has been said that we should be sympathetic because Harry is only 20 years old. It should not be forgotten that thousands of young men from Britain died fighting the evils of fascism during the war. I wonder what he will be so keen to fight when he eventually finished his gap year to join the British Army. Apparently he can’t wait to fight those “lefties”.

I think we tend to forget how this event has been portrayed in the world’s press. As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette put it: “Harry is either the last truly innocent white man left in Britain or the nation’s biggest moron.”

To me, the main issue concerns Harry's lack of understanding of the significance of what he did. According to a survey carried out last month by the BBC, 45% of Britain’s adult population have never heard of Auschwitz. Among people under 35, the level of ignorance is 60%.

Yet we all know that we teach this subject. The problem must be in the way we teach it. That it is information that they only need to help them pass an exam. Once the exam is over, the information can be discarded, as it so often is. The same goes for most of the information we give them.

The headmaster of Eton has insisted that Harry has been taught about this subject. I am sure he has. However, he clearly has no understanding of the importance of this information. If the vast majority of young people do leave school without a deep understanding of the evils of fascism, then we are all guilty of not doing our job properly.

[Derek McMillan]

I agree. In fact I think that anti-fascism is more than understanding. My reaction to reading about the death camps when I was a child was not "understanding" so much as horror and anger.

German big business could hardly claim "not to know" about the camps when they were using slave labour from the camps. The ordinary people were castigated by the Americans although probably many genuinely did not know what was going on. Nazi government probably tended not to encourage questioning about their doings. The rich and powerful (including members of the British Royal family) could privately admire the Nazis with impunity.

The fox hunting fraternity also wear impressive uniforms, have extreme right wing views and go off to torture defenceless victims, so perhaps they thought the swastika was not out of place even though the Africa Corps did not actually wear swastika armbands and that must have been an afterthought on Harry's part.

a bas les aristos!