Prince Harry serving in Afghanistan

[advocatusDIABOLI]

Well, from my perspective, this has actually been well handled. He went, he served, the media understood / played ball and now he needs to come home. Well done to him, and also to all those around that made this happen.

Shame on the narrow minded, ill informed media idiot who broke this story.

Finally, well done and regards to everyone out there and in the other 'opportunity locations' available! My (next) turn late summer........

Keep Safe.

Advo

[timzsta]

"Came across well on camera. Just a Junior Officer doing his duty".

No doubt the Top Brass will beat that out of him when he returns.

The guy has spent the last decade being harrassed by the press because he is Princess Diana's son. He finally manages to get away from them but oh no, they cant leave him alone. Somebody somewhere has to break the story.

So how did the "Drudge" or whatever he is known as get know about Harry being in Afghanistan in the first place. I am sure he wasn't high up on the MoD list of people they informed?

Alas the press run the world now. They control the agenda and will print and show anything of their choosing at the the time of their choosing. It's in the public interest you know...

[henry crun]

timzsta: I have read that it was an Australian womans magazine who first published the story in January.

[aviate1138]

Channel 4 News Jon Snow [A WW1 General's Grandson] said....

"I never thought I'd find myself saying thank God for Drudge. The infamous US blogger has broken the best kept editorial secret of recent times. Editors have been sworn to secrecy over Prince Harry being sent to fight in Afghanistan three months ago"

The man needs a smack IMHO

But then he is not in the "A" list of Newscasters anyway.

[chiglet]

Anybody see Question Time last night? That Mr Big Brother sycophantic Gallo[scottish region] "Respect" [my arr5e] Muppet Politico.Actually castigated the BBC and Press for respecting Harrys' privacy/security.....Cnut
watpiktch

[andybangers]

Worked to him a couple of times my self. The boy done good!!

[StbdD]

In the interest of accuracy

Neither the German magazine Bild nor the Druge Report website broke this story. It was broken over a month ago by the Oz women's magazine New Idea.

New idea published stories on Jan 7;

"Prince Harry has joined his regiment on a covert mission to Afghanistan and his unit has already seen frontline action"

As well as on Jan 15th 'Prince Harry: War Lord', and Feb 14th 'Prince Harry Goes to War in Afghanistan'.

Interesting that the New Idea and Bild stories had no effect on the UK press but the Drudge Report sent them to general quarters in a storm of finger pointing at the nefarious Drudge. Of course they lost their exclusive on the story so that could explain the reaction.

That reaction of course moved it from a backpage story on a couple of relatively low readership outlets to banner headlines around the world. An impartial observer might even conclude that the UK press did the real damage here by making a mountain out of a molehill to salve their pride and salvage a story out of it.

In any case, I can't see how any of the accused publishers can be blamed for violating a UK media only press embargo. They are all based in countries with a free press and were not consulted about any such embargo.

[Whizzwheel]

Antipodean apology

On behalf of the greedy, self-centred, ignorant morons that made the decision to break the story in Australia, I humbly apologise. As a serving member, it drives me to distraction that these idiots think that their actions won't somehow lead to an undesirable effect...all in the name of gossip. The news is all over the Oz papers this morning - some of which are slamming their low-brow mongoloid cousins...even had a quick look at the new idea website, expecting either an apology or overt gloating, but nothing. No doubt someone is basking in the glory and free publicity ('oh look dahling...100000 hits on the website, how brilliat!'), without the concept of social responsibility or integrity clouding their rediculous life. Well done...but what do you expect from these urchins?

Hope they'll at least print an apology to HM armed forces, Harry and his boys....yeah right.

[busdriver02]

Harry's hat

If it's same as the one I've got, and it looks like it is; it's a fund raiser for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

[Been Accounting]

A long time ago on Radio Four there was a programme about the experiences of Anthony Smith (BBC producer) in the RAF at the end of WW2. He went from being selected for pilot training to suddenly (at the end of hostilities) being sent to work as a clerk in the postings office (not the post office). To avoid boredom he and his mates came up with a scheme where they would post people with similar physical characteristics to the same base. They started by sending people with missing digits to the same base but quickly moved to selecting people with GINGER hair for the same base. (The plan moved on with an idea to send people over 6ft and under 5ft to the base with the largest parade ground in the RAF. Remember - "Tallest on the left... shortest on the right").

Without being erythrophobic would it be possible for the British Army to do something similar to camouflage Harry? A regiment of Ginger tanks!

Joking aside - I don't think the press should report on any individual movements in the field and giving away callsigns might not be a good idea either.

Well done HRH - get home, have a bath and get back out there

[Low Flier]

[Dan D'air]

Looks like the Taliban's Int is as good as ours, first they miss Ross Kemp and now Harry.

One (probably unintentional) side-effect of the Ross Kemp series is that it has done wonders in highlighting just how grim a tour in Afghanistan actually is. There is a perception amongst the civvies I have spoken to that it is just a bunch of ragheads taking potshots at HMF when the reality couldn't be further from the truth.

Quite ironic really then, that anti-monarchist Murdoch has unwittingly provided a platform for the general public to understand what Prince Harry (not forgetting everyone else!!) has been going through. Well done to the guy, he came across as professional, dedicated and decent. It's a shame that he couldn't have finished his tour with the rest of his unit, but at the very least he can hold his head up high.

[GPMG]

Harry said he was enjoying being in Afghanistan, away from the British media.
Speaking before his withdrawal from Helmand province, the third-in-line to the throne said he would relish another front-line posting.
"It's something I would love to do," he said. "I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."

Hmm I wonder why that is? Don't blame him one bit for not liking the country seeing as his every move is spied upon.

Shame he can't emmigrate into anonymity.

[Gainesy]

Matt in today's Telegraph.

[timzsta]

Would p**s myself if he diverts to Lossie.

[BEagle]

"I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."

What an astonishing comment to be made by an heir to the throne of England.

Sorry, Harry, you did an excellent job by going to Afghanistan and fighting for your country. But you have a responsibility of office to uphold - and to state your dislike for your country in such a public way is unacceptable.

I hope you were merely mis-reported.

[TMJ]

Without meaning disrespect to New Idea, I somehow doubt an Aussie women's mag is on too many people's media watch list, least of all the Taliban's. Equally, I doubt too many of its readers were on the hotline to the Hindu Kush when they saw the story and, according to Wikipedia, the magazine pulled the story from their website when they realised it wan't meant for public eyes. The Palace and MoD were doubtless aware of the publication and assessed the risk as being acceptable; they may even have thought that a single uncorroborated media story may have served, if it reached them at all, to confuse the Taliban's int people. Der Berliner Kurier, as a news source in a major European capital, probably set alarm bells ringing, but Drudge surely is on every major media outlet in the world's watch list, as well as the watchlist of anyone with an interest in embarrassing the US administration like, for example, the Taliban. There was no way of keeping a lid on the story thereafter, so the recall (for which I imagine a plan w\as always in place) was activated.

Intterestingly, in researching this reply I learnt that the Berliner Kurier is owned by a british investment company founded by a former CEO of Mirror Group and editor of the Sun, NotW and Today, although the Graun reported that there is marked hostility from der Berliner Zeitung's staff (a paper in the same stable as ter Kurier, bought at the same time) towards its owners.

[VinRouge]

Re the comment about england, he was commenting on the media intrusion he has to put up with in the UK. Think if you watch the whole article it came across as "I would rather be out here than back in the UK with a camera poked in my face every time I want to go out and get tipsy"

[indie cent]

Great support.

Sky news has just shown a clip with the Prince of Wales commenting on Harry’s deployment and the armed forces in general.

(I’m sure the link will be posted shortly…)

Just like to say that it is a fine example of articulate and generous praise. Some of our clueless politicians could do with listening to someone who clearly understands what this is all about. Take lessons Gordo, Swiss et al.

The Royal Family weather their fair share criticism, yet give so much to our Nation. The boys and their dad are doing us proud IMHO.

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Agreed Indie and bbc, but of course none of our politicians have a clue about service to the Queen and Country, let alone a basic simpleton's knowledge of our Armed Forces, and they do not have family who serve who may be able to educate them. Or am I misinformed?