Britain's Prince Harry apologizes after being pictured in Nazi uniform
What a stupid Fucktard...
LONDON (AFP) - Britain's Prince Harry apologized after a picture of him dressed up as a Nazi soldier was splashed across the front page of a mass-circulation newspaper.
The pictures in The Sun newspaper triggered outrage, especially from the Jewish community which pointed out that they appear as the royal family prepares to lead commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust.
Thursday's edition of The Sun features Harry, 20, the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, attending a fancy dress party wearing a khaki uniform with an armband emblazoned with a swastika, emblem of the German WWII Nazi Party.
Harry, third in line to the British throne after his father and his elder brother William, was pictured wearing the costume as he held a cigarette and drink during a birthday party for a friend last Saturday, The Sun said.
"Harry The Nazi," according to the headline of the newspaper story, which also included an apology from Prince Harry.
Contacted by AFP, a spokeswoman for the royal family read a similar statement of apology. "I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize," Prince Harry said.
Jeff Barak, deputy editor of the Jewish Chronicle, told Sky News his reaction to the photograph was one of "shock and revulsion".
He said that going to a fancy dress party as a Nazi was "something that one does not do" and is "not a laughing matter" and that Harry had "made a serious error."
The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the apology.
"We're gratified that the prince has apologized. The incident was in bad taste, especially in the runup to the Holocaust memorial day, which the royal family will play a leading role in commemorating," it said.
Holocaust memorial day is marked on January 27, the day in 1945 when the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz, the most infamous of the Nazi World War II concentration camps.
Commentators described the incident as a "public relations disaster," of a far greater magnitude than previous onces facing the young prince.
A British newspaper reported only last month that Prince Harry, who has gained the reputation as Britain's most unruly royal, had avoided charges after scuffling with a photographer outside a nightclub in October.
Doug Henderson, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North and a former armed forces minister, said Prince Harry should scrap plans to become a British Army officer.
"After the revelations this evening I don't think this young man is suitable for Sandhurst," the elite army officer training school, Henderson said.
"If it was anyone else the application wouldn't be considered. It should be withdrawn immediately," he said.
The Queen's former assistant press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, said "this young man has got to come up front and be seen in person making an apology" because the incident is so offensive.
Arbiter, interviewed by Sky News, lamented that it appeared that Prince Charles, despite his own solid reputation, failed to exert enough discipline over his children, particularly Harry.
"There is a lack of control," he said..
Andy Pike, from Unite Against Fascism, said: "Prince Harry has had a very expensive education, is supposedly fit to be an officer serving in his country's armed forces and one would assume he is not a complete idiot.
"One would be very surprised if he were not aware of the significance of wearing the swastika and the amount of offence that would cause."
David Winnick, a Labour Party member of parliament, said: "I think everyone recognizes there is a growing-up process for youngsters but I would seriously suggest that he takes the opportunity to watch the BBC programs on Auschwitz screening this month.
The Sun reported Harry, who is due to train at the military academy, Sandhurst, later this year, was among 250 guests at the party for a friend's 22nd birthday party in Wiltshire.
His brother William was also reported to have attended, dressed in a home-made lion and leopard outfit in a party along the theme of Natives and Colonials.
The newspaper said Harry's outfit of beige shirt and trousers and Nazi insignia, which it said resembled Rommel's "hated Afrika Korps" had been the talk of party guests.
One shocked reveller told the Sun: "What on earth was Harry thinking of? A senior royal dressing up as a Nazi for a laugh? If that is his idea of a joke it went down like a lead balloon with many.
"There are a lot of old soldiers out there who will look at these photos of Harry dressed like this and be totally outraged."
He added: "The Nazis were responsible for the deaths of millions. To turn that into a jokey idea for a fancy dress is an absolute disgrace."
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