Has the world gone mad? Ok, it was maybe a bit silly of Harry to dress in the Nazi uniform, but I cannot believe the coverage it has got. It is unbelievable, he wore a fancy dress outfit, he didn't join the Nazi group, or commit murder! The point is if a greasy photographer from the Sun had not been spying on Prince Harry, this whole story would never have made front page news and therefore, hundreds of Jews would not have been offended.

I totally admit that what the Nazi's done in Auswitz was asbolutely awful and I sure Prince Harry thinks so too. I have been to fancy dress parties, and seen people dressed in the uniform, I don't think any less of them or suspect them of secretly harbouring Nazi thoughts.

What about actors who have played Nazi's do they have to apologise too?

I think the whole thing has gone a bit far, we have one MP saying that Harry is now not fit to become an officer at Sandringham, I mean the whole wearing of the uniform was in jest it was not meant to be taken seriously. I am not a huge fan of the Royal Family, but on this occassion I am on their side.

Has the world gone mad? Ok, it was maybe a bit silly of Harry to dress in the Nazi uniform, but I cannot believe the coverage it has got. It is unbelievable, he wore a fancy dress outfit, he didn't join the Nazi group, or commit murder! The point is if a greasy photographer from the Sun had not been spying on Prince Harry, this whole story would never have made front page news and therefore, hundreds of Jews would not have been offended.

I totally admit that what the Nazi's done in Auswitz was asbolutely awful and I sure Prince Harry thinks so too. I have been to fancy dress parties, and seen people dressed in the uniform, I don't think any less of them or suspect them of secretly harbouring Nazi thoughts.

What about actors who have played Nazi's do they have to apologise too?

I think the whole thing has gone a bit far, we have one MP saying that Harry is now not fit to become an officer at Sandringham, I mean the whole wearing of the uniform was in jest it was not meant to be taken seriously. I am not a huge fan of the Royal Family, but on this occassion I am on their side.

I agree with you completely Bella. I was watching CNN this morning and the picture has now made it the States with the press over there condemning him as much as the UK press seem to be.

Granted in Harry's position it was a very very stupid costume to wear but there was no malicious intention in his actions and the press should stop acting like he was part of the Gestapo!!!

A surivor of the Auswitz (sorry about the sp) was on and said he was offended as it seemed that by wearing the costume Harry was sending out a message that he was not fully aware of the legacy left by the Nazis and it's impact to him and millions of other Jews. It is indeed a fair point esp given Harrys position but i dont think the poor boy meant to cuase thi much commotion and offense by any means!

I agree with both of you.

There seems to have been a huge overreaction to this. Harry's costume was ill-judged at worst, but that's all. It was a fancy dress party - his choice of costume was tactless perhaps, but not malicious. It's not as if he'd worn the costume for a Rememberance Day service, or marched into a synagogue wearing it.

this world is starting to lose its perspective.

this world is starting to lose its perspective.

You are right there, Karen. It is okay for to go to war with another country with damning and incorrect information, but you must NOT wear a Nazi uniform at a fancy dress party! If people are going to get so hung up on this then maybe the Nazi uniform should be banned from fancy dress shops - now that really would be taking policital correctness a bit far!

I think most people are probably taking our line of thinking, that Harry's judgement was misplaced and that the whole thing is now spiralling totally out of control.

I agree this really has been blown right out of proportion! Hopefully Harry will have learned a valuable lesson from this!

There is a serious aspect underlying all the hoohah, though. Naziism is on the increase in several European countries and its growth is almost certain in the future, in response to widespread migration. That's bad news. Really bad news. These monsters grab any publicity on offer, and Daft Harry has handed it to them on a plate with this stunt.

It's particularly painful at this time, too, as survivors and their families gear up towards the 60 Year remembrance ceremonies. And, of course, there is an old royal connection with nazi sympathy, which I'm sure the Firm would prefer to remain buried.

All this together makes Harry's public stupidity more than just childish nonsense for an awful lot of people.

For me, it's simply another proof that he's far from the sharpest knife in the drawer, even in a family not famed for high intelligence, and indicative of a thorough waste of good money putting him through Eton, etc. I think the very best thing for him would be to get into the army asap and keep his head down for a few years. They'll look after him in there, and keep his gaffes out of the public eye. He might even grow up.

Harry went to a PRIVATE party, not public, and the reporter/photographer that was obviously spying on him should be shot! The royal family does give masses of photo shoot opportunities on the understanding that they can have a private life too, but hell, this is the gutter press after all!


So, what could he have wore to not cause any offence then? When I think of some of the fancy dress parties I have been to and the cossies worn there is little that wouldn't have offended someone, somewhere.

I am not so mad with Harry as I am with the sneaky underhand press, they really get me mad because they knew that publishing those pics would do all but destroy this lad :ranting: Arseholes!!!

I am not so mad with Harry as I am with the sneaky underhand press, they really get me mad because they knew that publishing those pics would do all but destroy this lad :ranting: Arseholes!!!

I agree, Eternity. It is so typical of The Sun, there are still the devestation in Asia. It was reported in many of the other papers about the tragic accident where 5 members of the same family were swept out to sea on the Western Isles and The Sun chose to slap a picture of Harry in the front page!

You are right, it was a PRIVATE party and The Sun have now made it public. To me they are the ones who have done the offending, by making public. Only last week we saw William & Harry doing their bit to aid the Tsunami victims and now they are asking for his head in a basket. You can't do right for doing wrong, it seems! :(

Think it must say a lot about the state of history lessons in our schools today......

Well I disagree with most of the above, sort of! Firstly I was led to believe that it was a photo taken on a 'firends' mobile phone and sold to the Sun - so there is Harry's first mistake, having dodgy friends.

Secondly, I can forgive and accept his stupid mistake at wearing the uniform - but what I find unbeleivable is that no-one, his brother, his advisors, even one of his servants did not say to him that wearing an emblem of a such deeply offensive nature would be frowned upon.

I also cannot believe for one minute that Harry has no conception of the concentration camps?? No - we discussed this in bed this morning, Mr F was adamant that he was not taught recent history ie WWI or WWII in school, I had to agree neither was I - but I was savvy enough at an early age to realise that it had gone on, Mr F reckoned he didn't know about this until he was a lot older - rubbish I said!!!

And not only can I not beleive that Harry did not know about it, I am sure he did know about the Nazi's - but I cannot beleive that he thought by him wearing it - it would not cause a stir. Ok it was a private party - but he is not an 'ordinary' student like Flyo or Scoobs or ils's daughter - he is a royal and 3rd in line to the thrown. This by definition brings a level of responsibility that none of us, thankfully have to experience.

I actually think Harry is irresponsible, selfish or thoughless to say the least - and somewhere deep inside him - is trying to rebel against the establishment that has nurtured him. Fine - most teenagers/young people do - but I am afraid that most teenagers/young people do not have the priveledged upbringing and experience Harry has had.

I am with Prince Charles on this one - I would be furious too. I am not sure whether a televised public apology would be the answer, but a visit to Auschwiz [sp?], and a talk with survivors, and some deep deep thinking about his future would be my answer. And sadly for Harry - he has been tarred at an early age - and in my eyes has far more to prove in later life.

As in criminal law - Ignorance is not an excuse!

When I first saw the photo of Harry with a swastika on his arm, I thought he had joined some kind of British National party and that is what the hoo har was all about. Then I find he is in FANCY DRESS. The bloomin PC brigade take themselves SO seriously!!! Is this all we have to worry about - get into the real world where there are REAL problems like the folks in Asia.

Secondly, I can forgive and accept his stupid mistake at wearing the uniform - but what I find unbeleivable is that no-one, his brother, his advisors, even one of his servants did not say to him that wearing an emblem of a such deeply offensive nature would be frowned upon.




Well, we don't know that they didn't do we? He may have had advice but chose to ignore it, which would make it even worse.

I'm with you, Flip. He's no ordinary 20 year old lad. He's in a very priviledged position and should know better.

I think the very least he can do is make a personal and public apology instead of just a statement. It's caused offence and he should apologise.

There was a woman on GMTV this morning who annoyed me. She was very anti Harry's actions. But one minute she was saying 'he's not a kid anymore, he's an adult' and the next she was asking 'where's the parental guidance?' You can't have it both ways.

There was a woman on GMTV this morning who annoyed me. She was very anti Harry's actions. But one minute she was saying 'he's not a kid anymore, he's an adult' and the next she was asking 'where's the parental guidance?' You can't have it both ways.


Some of those people who appear on GMTV, think they are bluddy know-it-alls. They annoy me too, Max!

Flip, I do see your point. Harry has had a priviledged background, and I totally agree that what he done was ignorant and stupid but my point is that has been taken too far. There are people who have done much worse and haven't apologised.

I do think that having a priviledged background does sometimes harbour a bit of ignorance.

It may not be that hard to think that Harry has no concept of concentration camps, some upper-class people have absolutely no knowledge of what us mere mortals do. There was the classic case of when a judge had to ask who or what Arsenal was. That said I would hate to think that Harry did not know about the awful horror that the Jews went through during the war. Charles maybe furious, but then maybe he has to take some of the blame.

I still think that even though it was silly, it should never have got the scale it has. It has been blown out of all proportion!

Think it must say a lot about the state of history lessons in our schools today......
well quite Spooky! this is what I was saying at work today. I don't find Harry Hewitts (!) costume offensive but what I do find offensive is that young people (and on newsnight that was 35 and under) have no idea about Auswitch or what the Nazi's did.

It is imperative that such horrific recent history is taught - lest those actions be repeated.

Also on newsnight it said in germany there is a huge fine and up to 3 years imprisonment for anyone displaying a swastika and yet in this country if a book has swastika on the front of it - sales go up.

btw - when I was about 14 I drew a swastika on my rabbit hutch (I was decorating it!!!). I didn't know the full horror of what it meant (although I had some vague concept of nazism) and my mum was absolutely mortified and made me paint over it and then explained to me what the nazis did. I just thought the swastika was about rebellion - obviously it's about a lot lot more.

As for the "outrage" at Harry - that's not really the issue with the newspapers is it - it's all about sales!

I suppose as a member of the Royal Family and 4th in line to the throne he should have been trained to be a bit more subtle knowing he's in the world's eye - what with this one, clocking a photographer, etc. Then again, I'm not sure he is being set a good example by the rest of the Royals - Prince Philip with his public statement about the Chinese having 'slitty eyes', Charles shagging a married woman , etc etc.

Oh god, totally out of proportion. That poor sod aint gonna be able to do anything without the media making it into a pantomime. Which lets face it as far as the media is concerned that's exactly what the 'Royal' family is. "bast@rd son "goes to the ball dressed up as a dasterdly dude from the past ..."Prince Charming" ..err what did he dress up in ? anyone know? .. must of been really bad for Harry to take the flack .. was Wills dressed up as "the only Gay in the Village"?? For chrissake.

My Dad dressed up as Hitler (ala Freddie Starr) whilst serving with the RAF and at the time based in Germany (for a fancy dress party ... not for tea with the family)

This has has **** all to do with history ... this is (probably ill-judged) but a young chap having a good time at a party and being kicked in the teeth by all and sundary who have a hidden agenda.

We all know that the genocide during the war was abhorent, but does anybody actually think that the wee fella was promoting this? NO couse not. But as (specially the gutter media) gets peeps talking and pointing the finger.

Total crap. You wanna talk Royal and Nazi just look as far as 'Prince Phillip'. rest me case, and wont be driving me Merc through a tunnel.

As an aside the "swastika" symbol is an ancient symbol pre-dating by millenium Hitlers Nazis........ Just look at Dol's hutch !

Actually, some have also picked up that the 'uniform' Harry was wearing was Afrikans, and not Nazi.


I agree with you Snowdrop (and welcome to the group first poster!LOL), how many have blased Freddy Starr for his impersonation?????????????? No-one, they all just laughed didn't they!

well quite Spooky! this is what I was saying at work today. I don't find Harry Hewitts (!) costume offensive but what I do find offensive is that young people (and on newsnight that was 35 and under) have no idea about Auswitch or what the Nazi's did.



Dol, are you saying that Prince Charles is not Harry's real dad?!!! I am shocked at this accusation.........is it true? ;)

From what I remember at school we didn't cover the full horror of Auswitz. We did study about the cold war and the superpowers, NATO etc but I am fairly sure that we did discuss the concentration camps and my parents told me what had happened. I also remember watching Tenko, although not Auswitz but wanting to know more about what happened.

Total crap. You wanna talk Royal and Nazi just look as far as 'Prince Phillip'. rest me case, and wont be driving me Merc through a tunnel.



Exactly, maybe that is where Harry gets his pig ignorance from! Have to say I loved the fact that Fergie stuck up for Harry and said that she proud for them. Good old Fergie, don't you just love her?! :laugh:

If anyone is to blame its the low life b@st@rd that took the pic of Harry at the PRIVATE party!

Is he not allowed a life??? Hes a young lad! Admittedly (sp?) a THOUGHTLESS young lad, but surely he is entitled to a Private life, I know LOADS of lads that have dressed as Hitler at Fancy Dress parties, I have dressed as a Nun before, which could be considered by some as blasphemous (sp?)

He didnt join the BNB, it wasnt done while performing his "Royal Duties", he wasnt on a Nazi march, he didnt maim or murder anyone, no one else was physically hurt by it.......

**** happens, people are thoughtless, it happens to every single one of us day in day out...over the years I have been insulted by people, I'd just tell them to **** off and that was that......

nowadays, its seems to be the form that if someone says or does something that is considered an insult, its up in arms - all fed by the media frenzy that is the gutter press - WAKE UP PEOPLE - stop buying the inane drivel that is probablyfull of lies, the stories that destroy peoples lives while lining the fat cat editor and journalists (real journalists I apologise, tabloid journos are nothing more than gossip monger fish wives!!!) big fat designer pockets.....

I dont know about anyone else, but I was taught:

sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

now its more and more like being back in the playground "please miss Freddie called me snotface".............

**Huge round of applause for Queenie**


Bless your heart, you got that the way I see it, nah, not see it, but KNOW it!

I think he did it on purpose, he is part of the royal family, he surely couldnt have believed that he could wear a Nazi uniform without any sneeky photographers taking a few snaps.

His a lil rebel aint'e lol

From what I remember at school we didn't cover the full horror of Auswitz. We did study about the cold war and the superpowers, NATO etc but I am fairly sure that we did discuss the concentration camps and my parents told me what had happened. I also remember watching Tenko, although not Auswitz but wanting to know more about what happened.

Actually, that is a good point Bella. Now that you mention it, I don't think I was taught the full horror of the concentration camps in school history lessons either! We covered WWII from a political point of view, and I think we were told that millions of European Jews were massacred by Hilters regime, but it was fairly glossed over.

The reason I say this is because I actually remember WHEN I learnt about it all. It was when I was 17 and doing my 'A' Level English Literature. Two of my set books were "Schindlers Ark" (or Schindlers List, as the film was called) and "If this is a Man", written by an Italian survivor of Auschwitz about his experiences. And I do rememeber being shocked to learn how truly evil it all was. But....if I hadn't read those books (and several others since), I think I'd be pretty uninformed about it.

So, if I was not taught it all back then, its not really surprising that kids today aren't taught it either.

And Dol's right - they should be taught!

I have learnt more about the 2 WW's since living with Mr Q, he is very interested in the History and Politics of the 2 wars so he reads quite a bit and we watch documentaries about them, it has certainly made me sit up and take note of what my grandparents did to make a better life for us......

although as a child we were informed, not at school, but by my parents, both of my uncles (on mums side) were Royal Marines and my paternal grandfather was a military man, he was a Regimental Sergent Major, so my Dad travelled quite a bit as a child, also my Dad was in the RAF for his National Service, so he talked about his and his fathers experiences to us, but as we got older and the drink took its toll on Dad, he talked to us less and less.....I found out more about my Dad and Grandad when my Dad died a couple of years ago!

In my previous post I was not disrespecting what has happend in the past, I just think that on the whole, things are going crazy as in what we can say and do without fear of offending, and in most cases, its the media frenzy that starts it all off, often forgetting themselves how they can hurt, insult and destroy people by their poisonous words...... if things carry on the way they are, we will live in a world where we cant talk to or see each other for fear of saying the wrong thing or wearing the wrong outfit!

the world that springs to mind is TOLLERANCE - we are all guilty of intollerance for one thing or another, if we all learnt to accept that we are all different (its the one thing we DO all have in common FFS!!!) and that just because someone lives their life differently to how we might do, doesnt make them wrong or evil, so there is no need to be rude and offensive to each other because of the differences.....

I dread to think how life will be here in the UK by the time I am a pensioner! Lets hope Mr Q and I will have made a fortune and have managed to buy our own tropical island to see our final days out!

I'm with you there Queenie, I too was from a military family, and then married into one, you did learn more than maybe most other kids did about what went on. Also, I lived in Germany for a few years, and we did get taught that bit more about the 'mutual' history, but I asked my daughter what she knew, and it was very little.

I have been hunting through the War Graves sites and found many relatives mentioned in there, it's a real eye-opener, and heart rending.

However, that is off track. Tolerance is fast vanishing from our world, the PC brigade are doing so much harm it's unreal, and as you say, the Media franzy on anything now is scarey. I fear for the future generations, there will be nothing left you can joke about or laugh at without being thought racist, bigoted or offensive at least. The sad thing being, those that the jokes are loosely about are the ones that laugh the loudest!

Tolerance is fast vanishing from our world, the PC brigade are doing so much harm it's unreal, and as you say, the Media franzy on anything now is scarey. I fear for the future generations, there will be nothing left you can joke about or laugh at without being thought racist, bigoted or offensive at least. The sad thing being, those that the jokes are loosely about are the ones that laugh the loudest!
Agreed once more Eternity!!!!

I have many friends who are of mixed race, black, asian, gay, whatever, and they send me the BEST (or in the eyes of the PC brigade the WORST) txt jokes ever, but I guess thats because they know I am laughing along WITH them and not AT them, that I am not that shallow that I would dislike or ridicule someone for their differences.....that I love them because they are FAB people and thats why they are my friends.......

one of my dearest gay friends is called (by all of his friends and family) Big Gay Al (like in South Park), and I am always ripping it out of him for being such a girlie mincer......he thinks he is more girlie than ME :blink: trouble is.....he is probably right :unsure: :laugh: ......

however, if I EVER heard anyone that was really insulting or rude to him because he is gay I would kick off (I had to have a word with some of the lads a few years ago :angry: I soon sorted them out!!!! )

None of us are flawless!!!!!

I'm with you on this Queenie!

Look at how many people have 'sent up' Hitler and the Nazis everyone from Monty Python to Kenny Everett and loads inbetween.
Many evil and bad people from history have been destined to being poked fun at, look at Saddam! Maybe somehow its our way of dealing with the horrors these people stood for?
Harry's private life should remain private IMO.
As was mentioned, he was wearing an Afrika Corps uniform, many people in the Afrika Corps.... like in many other regiments..on all sides in WW2 ...were there because thay HAD to be, not because they wanted to be.
My dad was a POW for 3 years, captured at Tobruk, and he made many German friends, who used to send up Hitler! They had to do what they did or be shot. There is no clear cut good or bad in war, I wonder what the reaction would have been if Harry dressed as Jack the Ripper, or some other such heinous criminal?
If he had dressed as a concentration camp captive, what reaction would that have had? mmmm?
M