There's Something About Harry
As was widely reported, blogger Matt Drudge committed the unpardonable, yelling fire in the theater to let the world know that Prince Harry was serving in the front lines of Afghanistan as an air controller in southern Helmand, prompting his quick removal from the Taliban foothold for his own safety as well as fellow combatants, who could have been sitting ducks for Al Qaeda forces. The third in line for the British throne arrived back in the U.K. on Saturday.
Harry, a Second Lieutenant in the in the Household Cavalry, disappointed his tour of duty ended so abruptly, made it known he wants to return to the front lines, although that possibility isn’t likely to happen, at least not within the next 12 to 18 months, according to Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt , head of Britain's army.
Prince William, however, according to The Sun in London was making plans to serve on the front lines aboard the Royal Navy ship in which he’ll hold the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, making him the first monarch to serve in the front lines since 1916.
It’s interesting to note it used to be fairly common having members of the royal family serving on the front lines. In fact, one of the primary responsibilities of a British monarch was to lead the country in times of war. King George II, who reigned for 33 years, for example, is best known for being the last British monarch to lead his troops into battle, while dangling a sword from his hand, in the Battle of Dettingen (1743) with the defeat of the French. Prior to that, William the Conqueror (1087) and Richard the Lionheart (1199) both were ‘killed in warfare; while Richard III in 1485 became the last English King to die in action near Bosworth in Leicestershire
Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria, served in South Africa, Egypt, India, Ireland and Canada, during the Red River Rebellion of 1870, and became Field Marshal.
Maya Jasanoff, Associate Professor of History at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, points out as Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII joined the army and wanted to serve in the front lines of WWI, but was prohibited due to the enormous ``security and political risks’’
Also in the 20th century, Prince Albert (crowned George VI in 1937) served time at sea on the battleship Collingwood in the battle of Jutland in May, 1916. And Prince George, the Duke of Kent, a great-great uncle of Harry, was killed in World War II as a senior commodore in the Royal Air Force
Most recently, Prince Andrew served as helicopter pilot in 1982 during the Falklands War.
Though future monarchs aren’t likely to be thrown into trench warfare, most serve their fair share of military duty. Charles, The Prince of Wales, and father of William and Harry, for example, learned how to fly with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and spent a year with the British navy.
When asked for his reaction to the media circus that developed over Harry’s tour of duty in Afghanistan, Paul Kennedy, professor of History at Yale University, and author of the ``Rise and Fall of the Great Powers’’ responding through an email, wrote: ``I can't help feeling a bit sorry for the bloke: if he wears the Queen's uniform and DOESN'T fight, he'll get criticized for being an adornment; if he is in combat, there'll be criticism for exposing him as a special target to the foe.’’
Adrian Gregory, professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, on the other hand, who is currently working on the social and cultural history of the British Home Front from 1914 to 1919, observed that ``there is in fact a clear historical expectation that someone in Harry’s position OUGHT to serve in combat if the army/navy is involved at the time.''
Still others are trivializing the troublesome 23 year-olds’s time in southern Afghanistan as nothing more than a public relations stunt, to divert attention from his rebellious ways: raucous romps in the London pubs, donning a Nazi swastika at a masquerade party, and the paparazzi and blogs following his every move, arm-in-arm with his Zimbabwean girlfriend Chelsy Davy
Actually, for one brief shining moment, while Harry was in the theater in Afghanistan, directing coalition air attacks onto Taliban targets, he must have felt for the first time in his young adult life, that he belonged, that he was just one of the boys, that his comrades didn’t give a lick about his royal blood, only that they were united in a common purpose: defeating the Taliban.
No wonder Harry so felt betrayed by the media for busting his cover as he made his way off the plane and headed back with his father and elder brother to their country home at Highgrove. He’s no longer just one of the boys.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
Harry, a Second Lieutenant in the in the Household Cavalry, disappointed his tour of duty ended so abruptly, made it known he wants to return to the front lines, although that possibility isn’t likely to happen, at least not within the next 12 to 18 months, according to Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt , head of Britain's army.
Prince William, however, according to The Sun in London was making plans to serve on the front lines aboard the Royal Navy ship in which he’ll hold the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, making him the first monarch to serve in the front lines since 1916.
It’s interesting to note it used to be fairly common having members of the royal family serving on the front lines. In fact, one of the primary responsibilities of a British monarch was to lead the country in times of war. King George II, who reigned for 33 years, for example, is best known for being the last British monarch to lead his troops into battle, while dangling a sword from his hand, in the Battle of Dettingen (1743) with the defeat of the French. Prior to that, William the Conqueror (1087) and Richard the Lionheart (1199) both were ‘killed in warfare; while Richard III in 1485 became the last English King to die in action near Bosworth in Leicestershire
Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria, served in South Africa, Egypt, India, Ireland and Canada, during the Red River Rebellion of 1870, and became Field Marshal.
Maya Jasanoff, Associate Professor of History at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, points out as Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII joined the army and wanted to serve in the front lines of WWI, but was prohibited due to the enormous ``security and political risks’’
Also in the 20th century, Prince Albert (crowned George VI in 1937) served time at sea on the battleship Collingwood in the battle of Jutland in May, 1916. And Prince George, the Duke of Kent, a great-great uncle of Harry, was killed in World War II as a senior commodore in the Royal Air Force
Most recently, Prince Andrew served as helicopter pilot in 1982 during the Falklands War.
Though future monarchs aren’t likely to be thrown into trench warfare, most serve their fair share of military duty. Charles, The Prince of Wales, and father of William and Harry, for example, learned how to fly with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and spent a year with the British navy.
When asked for his reaction to the media circus that developed over Harry’s tour of duty in Afghanistan, Paul Kennedy, professor of History at Yale University, and author of the ``Rise and Fall of the Great Powers’’ responding through an email, wrote: ``I can't help feeling a bit sorry for the bloke: if he wears the Queen's uniform and DOESN'T fight, he'll get criticized for being an adornment; if he is in combat, there'll be criticism for exposing him as a special target to the foe.’’
Adrian Gregory, professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, on the other hand, who is currently working on the social and cultural history of the British Home Front from 1914 to 1919, observed that ``there is in fact a clear historical expectation that someone in Harry’s position OUGHT to serve in combat if the army/navy is involved at the time.''
Still others are trivializing the troublesome 23 year-olds’s time in southern Afghanistan as nothing more than a public relations stunt, to divert attention from his rebellious ways: raucous romps in the London pubs, donning a Nazi swastika at a masquerade party, and the paparazzi and blogs following his every move, arm-in-arm with his Zimbabwean girlfriend Chelsy Davy
Actually, for one brief shining moment, while Harry was in the theater in Afghanistan, directing coalition air attacks onto Taliban targets, he must have felt for the first time in his young adult life, that he belonged, that he was just one of the boys, that his comrades didn’t give a lick about his royal blood, only that they were united in a common purpose: defeating the Taliban.
No wonder Harry so felt betrayed by the media for busting his cover as he made his way off the plane and headed back with his father and elder brother to their country home at Highgrove. He’s no longer just one of the boys.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
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