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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Prince Harry

230 replies

emeraldgirl1 · 10/05/2013 00:02

AIBU to find it impossible NOT to have a sneaky crush?

Like pretty much every grown woman in America, apparently...

Blush

Only a few years ago I was openly mocking a friend for her minor obsession with him.

And oh god I have just realised my mum fancies him too... Blush Blush

OP posts:
seeker · 10/05/2013 14:20

So you think it's possible to be a 27 year old expensively educated man who will have had extensive media training and not know that Paki is a racist term? Really?

lottieandmia · 10/05/2013 14:27

WouldBe, I agree that racism can and often does come from ignorance and yes should be dealt with by being corrected.

However, from a person in Harry's position it's unacceptable and I don't see why anyone should make excuses for him. I don't agree with the royal family anyway, but since they are here than I expect them to behave according to the standards that we all agree are acceptable. And that includes not making a joke of Nazism or calling anyone a 'paki'.

Racism is not 'banter'. He's the heir to the throne - he should know better. I cannot believe he is uneducated in this respect.

landofsoapandglory · 10/05/2013 14:29

I quite like Prince Harry, TBH. I prefer him to William.

I do not understand how anyone can defend him for using the word 'Paki, and I would like to hope that he was disciplined by the Army for using it. I know, from DH who is RAF, that people in the RAF have been disciplined heavily, and quote rightly, for making racist comments on Fb, Twitter and in conversation.

I do not think that of Harry had been anyone else's son that he would have got into Officer training on the grades he has. I have sat twice with Ds1, once last week, and he has been on an Officer insight day, where we were told he needs 270 UCAS points to be accepted as an Officer. Even if he joins as a regular soldier and wants to transfer over, he still needs those 270 UCAS points. I don't doubt Harry is a brilliant helicopter pilot and I don't want to take it away from him, but realistically I doubt he would have got to Sandhurst in the first place if it weren't for who he is!

Nelly000 · 10/05/2013 14:32

Lets be clear on what I'm saying around 'offence on behalf of others'

I believe where people are discriminated against for any reason, including skin colour, everyone should rise up and act against it.

What I don't believe in is predicting offence... Like not celebrating Christmas for fear of offending a particular religion even though those religions aren't offended and no complaint has been made.

I don't believe Harry is racist, but that's a personal view.

WouldBeHarrietVane · 10/05/2013 14:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SmellsLikeWeenSpirits · 10/05/2013 14:37

I had assumed he's a spoilt, brattish, arrogant rich kid with an added dose of massive issues

everlong · 10/05/2013 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seeker · 10/05/2013 14:40

It doesn't matter if nobody present is offended if you call someone a Paki. The term is intrinsically racist. Even if the person being called is gracious enough to accept his apology and move on.

seeker · 10/05/2013 14:40

"What I don't believe in is predicting offence... Like not celebrating Christmas for fear of offending a particular religion even though those religions aren't offended and no complaint has been made."

You do know this has never actually happened, don't you?

sue52 · 10/05/2013 14:41

I've just checked his A level resulst. A D in Geography and a B in Art. I'm not sure how he got the additional UCAS points needed for the army.

Nelly000 · 10/05/2013 14:41

Is Chris Rock racist seeker?

financialwizard · 10/05/2013 14:45

Have you lot got nothing better to do with your time than sit and bitch all day about someone you are never likely to meet in a million years who probably wouldn't give a toss about your opinion anyway?

Honestly there are far more terrible things going on in the world than Harry wearing an SS Uniform to a bad taste party (which was years ago) and what you all deem inappropriate use of a word as a nickname for a 'stan comrade. I am going to hazard an assumption that none of you who are slating Prince Harry have any idea what the soldiers call each other when in these situations, and that you have no idea of what kind of comradery they have.

Nelly000 · 10/05/2013 14:46

seeker yes I do... But it doesn't stop people predicting it and reporting it.

That's my point.

sue52 · 10/05/2013 14:53

financialwizard If he is held up as a role model to young people and sent abroad as shining example of what is best in Britain, then yes I can spare a few minutes of my day for a "bitch".

lottieandmia · 10/05/2013 14:54

When has Christmas ever not been celebrated for fear of 'offending'? And what has this got to do with the heir to the throne regularly committing a social faux pas?

lottieandmia · 10/05/2013 14:56

the royal family qualifications None of them are intellectual heavy weights - William seems to have done the best.

landofsoapandglory · 10/05/2013 14:58

financialwizard DH has been in the Forces for almost 27 years. He has never called any of his colleagues anything like that! He has, however, seen men and women bollocked severely for using such language.

LtEveDallas · 10/05/2013 15:02

I've just checked his A level resulst. A D in Geography and a B in Art. I'm not sure how he got the additional UCAS points needed for the army

I don't know what Land has been told, nor the current situation, but as I have said before Prince Harry passed Pre-RCB and RCB and that allowed him to commission. I also know officers who have commissioned with only GCSEs, and bad ones at that.

Conversely, the absolute worst officer I have ever had the misfortune to meet had an honours degree in ancient French or something like that. He was a bloody awful soldier, despised by his men and regularly embarrassed by them, but got in by virtue of his degree. Thankfully he left at the end of his SSC.

Prince Harry is an excellent Recce Solider and Troop Leader and latterly an excellent pilot. The Army was exactly the right call for him and I can see him having a very long career.

squoosh · 10/05/2013 15:03

'Like not celebrating Christmas for fear of offending a particular religion'

Ummmm, I'm pretty sure you'll find the only time this happened in Britain was when Oliver Cromwell banned it in the 17th century. As a Protesant Christmas offended him. Is that the religion you meant?

Apologies if you were around at the time and remember those bleak December days well.

KitchenandJumble · 10/05/2013 15:06

Wow, I hadn't heard about Harry's use of racist language. That makes me think even less of him than before.

Is Harry racist? I have absolutely no idea. Despite confident assertions on this thread that he is not a racist, no one else here has any idea either. However, he used racist language. It doesn't matter a whit that the person he addressed was not offended (or as seeker put it very well, that he was gracious enough to accept Harry's apology). I am offended. The language Harry used was deeply offensive. It can't be explained away. The fact that an extremely privileged man in his 20s, with every advantage possible including the best education money can buy, would use such language is appalling.

And as for the people defending Harry's Nazi costume because he was attending a "bad taste" party? Give me a break. Bad taste is wearing white socks with dark trousers. A Nazi uniform goes rather further than that. Anyone who can dismiss such a costume as a hilarious jape in the spirit of the occasion is either woefully ignorant or an idiot.

thegreylady · 10/05/2013 15:11

When you are my age anyone under 40 is a lad Grin.Dh and I refer to our sons as 'the boys' they are aged 40,42 and 43-to me HRH is 'nowt but a bit of a bairn' sorry :)

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 10/05/2013 15:16

I've just checked his A level resulst. A D in Geography and a B in Art.

And d on't forget his art teacher helped him out with this Art A Level.

LtEveDallas · 10/05/2013 15:27

Was wondering if anyone would query the Bad Taste Party Smile. Nope, nothing as simple or inoffensive as that I'm afraid. Let me see, the last one I went to (a long time ago) was shortly after the WTC bombing. My friend wore ripped clothes, dumped a bag of flour all over himself and wore a sign around his neck "WTC window cleaner, gissa job". I've been to a few where it was just really bad clothes, ie the worst thing you could find in the charity shop, but also one held in Wales where I went as a sheep wearing a chastity belt and one where I dressed as a used tampon.

Bad taste means BAD taste.

(I've also been to a 'come as you are caught' party wearing nothing but a towel and a single flip flop, with a number of naked people and a 'come as you aren't' party where a friend (who liked to shag) dressed as Mary Whitehouse and her black boyfriend painted himself white with dap cleaner. Army parties tend to be rather over the top when you are young and drunk)

thegreylady · 10/05/2013 15:28

Do you need A levels/UCAS score to get into the army?

LtEveDallas · 10/05/2013 15:41

No you don't greylady, I'm living proof of that one Smile