Prince Harry aka Prince Hot Ginge is in a world of trouble. Videos have been obtained by Britain’s News of the World that show Prince Harry using racial slurs. It is believed that Prince Harry himself is the cameraman, shooting footage of his Army buddies. On the videos, you don’t “see” Harry, you only hear his voice. He refers to a Pakistani soldier as a “Paki” and in another video, he says to another soldier, “F–k me, you look like a raghead.”
People are freaking out about this – even politicians are weighing in. David Cameron, Britain’s Conservative leader and the presumptive next prime minister claims that this language is unacceptable, but that Harry has apologized, and he’ll leave it at that. The palace spokespeople are issuing lots of statements, and Prince Harry might even be investigated by the Ministry of Defense.
Britain’s Prince Harry apologized through a spokesman Saturday after videos surfaced showing him using offensive language to describe people in his military unit.
In one clip, a voice said to be Harry’s calls a soldier a “Paki.” In another clip, the voice tells a soldier wearing a cloth on his head that he looks “like a raghead.” The British newspaper News of the World posted the videos on its Web site Saturday. It did not say how it obtained them.
A spokesman for Prince Harry apologized in a statement released by St. James’s Palace Saturday. The spokesman said the prince — who is third in line to the British throne — “understands how offensive this term can be, and is extremely sorry for any offense his words might cause.”
It is not the first apology for offensive behavior by Prince Harry. In 2005, he was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform to a party. He said he was sorry for that incident.
“It was a very stupid thing to do and I’ve learned my lesson, simple as that really,” he said in a September 2005 interview with Britain’s Press Association, marking his 21st birthday. “I’d like to put it in the past now. What’s done is done. I regret it.”
The videos that surfaced Saturday were filmed by the prince himself during his military service in 2006, according to the News of the World Web site.
“Ahh, our little Paki friend… Ahmed,” a voice says as the camera zooms in on a soldier from across the room. The video does not show Prince Harry’s face. The soldiers were waiting for their flight to Cyprus for a mission, according to the Web site. The Royal family said the ‘Paki’ term was a nickname for a friend in his platoon.
“There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend,” the St. James’s Palace statement said.
The second video was filmed after arriving in Cyprus, according to News of the World, and shows a British soldier with a cloth over his head.
A voice, which the News of the World claims to be Harry’s, is heard saying, “(expletive) me, you look like a raghead.”
St. James’s Palace said, “Prince Harry used the term ‘raghead’ to mean Taliban or Iraqi insurgent.”
Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry’s grandmother, urged people to take the prince’s words in context. “Harry is not the same man as he was three years ago,” Arbiter told Britain’s ITN network. “You don’t think when you are shooting a video.”
And he pointed out that Harry was serving in the army, where language is not always delicate. “It is quite common for names to be used in the military…. He’s a serviceman first and foremost, but people see him as a prince first and he has to be careful of what he says.”
The British Ministry of Defense said it was not aware of any complaints against Prince Harry and would investigate the allegations of inappropriate behavior, according to a written statement released Saturday.
“Bullying and racism are not endemic in the Armed Forces,” it said.
David Cameron, the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, said Prince Harry’s remark was “obviously a completely unacceptable thing to say.”
But he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr program that he saw no need for the prince to be disciplined. “No, he has made an apology… and I think that’s enough.”
I completely understand why people are freaking out – Prince Harry was using inappropriate language, and he should face some kind of punishment from the Ministry of Defense and from the public at large. That being said, I seriously doubt that with the “Paki” slur, he meant to do anything other than tease his friend, someone he obviously knew pretty well. As for the “raghead” slur, that’s just unfortunate. Harry’s served in combat in Afghanistan, and now that we (“we” being America, Britain and NATO troops) are going into eighth year of occupation and nation-building in Afghanistan, you’d think that our troops would have picked up on some racial sensitivities.
Prince Harry is shown at a rugby match with his girlfriend Chelsy Davy on 11/22/08. Credit: WENN
“David Cameron…the presumptive next prime minister..”
Please don’t say that, Kaiser. Seriously not funny.
Of course Harry should have known better than to say these things on video – arrogance, stupidity, total lack of respect from someone 3rd in line to the throne etc – but it was 3 years ago and he’s grown up a lot since then. He deserves to be condemned for it but they need to let it go.
He is a decent guy who put his foot in his mouth..it was a comment made between mates…I saw a story in a UK newspaper some time back that had one his fellow soldiers calling him “ginger d–k”. Now that sounds not nice, but again, it was made within the confines of a group of mates on a mission. Much ado about nothing.
I do think, if by some accident of God, Harry should assume the title of King, he would chuck it all, and say, “No more of this Kinging, let’s party!”
whaddaya mean “even politicans are weighing in”? It’s their raison d’etre to be reactionary rent-a-gobs!
And ditto to what Geronimo said, we’ll fall out with you Kaiser if you’re not careful! *wink*
But on another note – oh noes! Harry is developing Charles’s ruddy complexion and seriously has his nose – he’s going the way of William, I fear.
@Mandy – yes but you’re not third in line to the throne and your grandmother isn’t the official Head of the Armed Forces. That’s why it’s getting the attention-overload.
G, M – Isn’t Cameron doing really well in the polling, though? I thought it was common knowledge or political “conventional wisdom” that Cameron was coming in and Brown was on the way out? When’s the general election? May?
K – Unless there’s some huge scandal or someone dies, probably not until 2010. And Cameron is a loathsome, bandwagon-jumping, substance-less arse. In no way shape or form (apart from in his own mind) is he a given contender.
Kaiser, when it comes to Prime Minister, it’s generally not “Brown out, Cameron in”, in the case of Britain it would be “New Labour out and Conservative in”.
A week is a very long time in politics and you’d be mad to try and predict what the polls will say this time next year. It really will depend on the economy even more than before – and in Britain that depends on a lot of factors, price of oil, parity with the dollar and Euro, etc etc.
At least geronimo gets to have her election in 2010, we may have to wait until 2011 and the chances are it won’t be as entertaining as the last one.
I’m half south asian background and it definitely offends me to be on the receiving end of ‘Paki.’ None of my friends would call me that in jest either.
‘Paki’ (or my second favourite, ‘Wog’) is a sweeping racialist term that refers to all south asians (Indian, Sikh, Sri Lankan)and not Pakistani nationals as some would have it in light of today’s political climate. I remember when ‘Paki-bashing’ was the sport of choice with UK skinheads.
For decades India was the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and it was on the backs of Indians that the British Empire was able to reach its height under Queen Victoria. His remarks, I think understandably, piss a lot of us off…
I’m not surprised at Harry’s behaviour given some of the statements made by his grandfather Philip. The Royal Family are crass and intellectually remedial inbreds. This is not news.
I wouldn’t say it’s attention overload, given that as a member of the Royal Family, one could, and definitely should, expect a certain standard of behaviour from him. This isn’t to that standard.
The reason there wasn’t an outcry about it three years ago is because nobody knew about it. Justice delayed doesn’t mean justice denied, as they say so I won’t be denied my right to say something about it: His grandmother also holds the title of Queen of Canada. She’s my Sovereign and Head of State as he could very well be one day. One never knows.
I just know I don’t want a git for a king.
My bad. I thought Britain’s general election was in May. I’ve actually read that Brown’s doing better because people trust him in the recession.
I actually agreed with what Cameron said about Harry, though. He apologized, let him get knocked around by the press and leave it at that.
@Baho – Well it is an attention-overload as far as I’m concerned. It took precedence here in the UK over Gaza and the London protest marches – of far more worth and importance IMO – since Saturday night and everyone and their dog has had to have an opinion on it ever since.
Britian just doesn’t matter anymore in the grand scheme of things. Royalty is an outdated institution. The Imperialism of GB is a relic from centuries past. Canada and the US most certainly have little use for the UK. This kid needs to be ignored as well. I think only the Brits really care about this silly boy.
Geronimo – Well, that’s typical of media. I didn’t find that to be the case though with online news (I get my news on the situation in Gaza from BBC World online) Maybe just the print and t.v. versions?
@Sickitten: Canada is still very connected to its British roots in our culture and institutions. The UK is still ‘over home’ or the ‘auld country’ for many people here.
Baho, true but don’t forget about the ‘other’ part of Canada that wants nothing to do with Britian. I’m just stressing the economics and power of North America really in the world overall.
@Baho – Although I live in London, I’m not British and have very little regard for or interest in the Royal Family as a whole. The brains (such as they are) seem to have been divided out amongst the women (the queen, Anne, Duchess of Kent etc) and all the males seems to be arrogant, bumbling idiots or arrogant, bumbling idiots in the making. Which is why I’m rarely surprised by anything they do and irritated by the attention something like this gets. (No offence intended to on-board royalists!)
I think racial terms are very ignorant. Growing up I heard all kinds of racial slurs toward my race and Jewish people and I thought wow these people are my friends. Very sad to know that the Prince would do the same thing. His standards should be better than that.
Good God. People need to stop being so politically correct and get over themselves. This occurred a long time ago; why is it suddenly big news now? So the kid chose his words poorly. Too bad. No one said that we are entitled to go through life without ever being offended. It’s not the end of the world. Seems to me that there are more important things to worry about than a young prince goofing around with his friends.
I hear that Geronimo – this Royal House is not even British either. Most people won’t give a rat’s ass about the monarchy once the Queen herself is gone unless Charles cedes the throne directly to William. I don’t know though if that can be done.
The prince’s granddad, Prince Philip was and is notoriously prone to gaffes even more serious than these. The grandson has obviously inherited the genes. There is no cure for these genetically inherited mental disabilities. The permanent solution to this recurring royal problem would be to confine these creatures to their gilded cages, aka palaces, and not let them out into the real world. In any case, the prince is not really going to put himself in any mortal danger by fighting for his country; even if he wants to, his handlers will not let him. Then, why go through the farce of putting him in the army and hobnobbing in the company of real soldiers?
The whole “political correctness” gone too far is a mantra often flung about by privileged heterosexual whites (male and female). I’m sorry, political correctness might be an annoyance for you but for those of us who are members of racial and ethnic minorities, we appreciate the fact that society has advanced to the point where people are required to comport themselves with decency and not make all manner of discriminatory and offensive statements. Until you have been on the receiving end of being called a racially derogatory term (or one that derides you for your sexuality), then I really dont think you get to say whether or not another person’s level of offense is appropriate or not. Furthermore, the boy is a member of the royal family and I highly doubt whether the young man that he was referring to really felt that he could speak up for himself even if he didnt like being called that word. The power dynamics are not exactly equal.
@Sickitten: Yep, the “Two Solitudes,” no argument there.
@Barneslr: I’m assuming your last name is Barnes? I have Barneses in my family. To them, not using words like ‘Paki’ has nothing to do with being politically correct and everything to do with common decency. Let’s not confuse the two.
@Sparkle: Nicely worded and excellent point regarding the power dynamic.
its sad that prince harry is on this ‘trend’ of stupidity. after seeing the video however, it really wasn’t that bad. i mean he wasn’t saying it with any animosity or hate. media hype is a bit too much
@Jennifer: Calling someone a ‘ginger’ nowhere nears ‘paki’ okay?
So you just sit in front of the telly with your chips n’ eggs and Croydon facelift and carry on.
*edit: Oh wait, did I just make a racist generalization that didn’t fit?* Cheers.
What makes me annoyed is the apologists who are saying, “Oh Paki is just an abbreviation for Pakistani!” I’m Pakistani and I was once on a train in England, when a drunk man got on and shouted “You f-ing Pakis” to me and my family as he walked by. I have never known that term to be anything other than a racial slur. “Paki Go Home” was the rallying cry of racists (skinhead and otherwise) throughout Britain for many years. It is the equivalent of calling an African person a “n*gger”. Hey, we may be “Pakis” but we aren’t stupid.
@Baholicious. I wont stoop low enough to call someone names to prove my point. I’d like to think I’ve got my dignity than that…but I would like to say…the next time you are stuck somewhere wondering why you are there and people shooting at you…talk to me about name calling.
Yeah — the warzone argument might hold water but for the fact that they were at Sandhurst (a military academy) at the time, and the person he was referring to was his classmate.
i guess harry proves that even wealthy, well educated people can be ignorant.
I’ve been in the service for over six years now and I’ve served in the Middle East and abroad for most of my time.
First, thank you to Jenipurrr and vdantev for being able to resist the urge to jump on the band wagon.
Baholicious, at first I thought your inability to see things from both perspectives was going to hinder things between you and I, but you’re showing improvement. Bravo…
I can tell you from first hand experience that Prince Harry’s remarks are mild in comparison to what I hear every day, but what we consider normal banter among friends shouldn’t have the masses up in arms.
In our own dark humored way, this is how we deal with combat stress and boredom. Racial slurs, homosexual accusations and inappropriate jokes and comments made by persons of ALL races towards one another are how we get through the day.
And it’s never something that is said with hate, nor is it said behind the backs of those it’s directed at. This is merely harmless jabbing between very close friends.
Think of all the nastiest things you said to your friends in high school and then multiply that by ten.
But I will say this in response to the author’s quote, “you’d think that our troops would have picked up on some racial sensitivities.” The longer you’re stuck somewhere, away from your family, friends and everything you know and love, the more you “hate” your surroundings and those who inhabit it. Just another way to deal with your situation.
It won’t make much sense to most of you, but you’d have to be there to understand.
Harry ROCKS! As usual, ppl are over-reacting about nothing.
Sickitten : it’s spelled Britain. I don’t know if you were trying to make a point by consistently mispelling it ? Certainly your comments have identified you as someone whose opinion is worth ignoring, but thanks for confirming that with your inability to spell the name of a country.
Guys, the guy is a young man who tells slags and rants on. This argument should be over – get over it. More tabloid madness…and this is coming from an Irish Guy.
Totally agree to that. It’s bull.