Gun salute: acceptable from Prince Harry?

He is third in line to the throne; he is also an active soldier, who in a few weeks time will be with other British soldiers on the front line fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Is it really appropriate therefore to be gesturing, albeit in fun in a gangster style ‘cocking of the gun’ with your hand, to Zara Phillip’s fiancé Mike Tindal?

In Britain’s Black community’s violent gangs are no joke. In the last few months alone gang members have killed, maimed and terrorised the innocent at a level that is spiraling out of control. In Lambeth alone there have been six killings this year, and bystanders getting caught up in the crossfire, as did Lambeth church goers leaving prayer on Easter Sunday afternoon.

The question arises; does this young Prince have a strong enough sense of public duty that befits his position? After all it wasn’t that long ago, when along with his older brother he arrived at a ‘Colonial’ themed party dressed as Nazi. Other privileged friends turned up as white Zulu warriors. That incident was brushed under the carpet as exuberant naivety. But this latest lapse?

For some the worry is that there are a growing number of rich and powerful young men and women, including the young Prince, who are so utterly out of touch with the real world. Even more frightening is the fact that in a very short space of time, this privileged group will be the next generation of bankers, politicians, army Generals and captains of industry.

Simon Woolley