Last week a video emerged showing Prince Harry referring to one of his fellow soldiers, an Asian man, as a ‘Paki’, whilst he was training with the British Army. This was subsequently followed by an official statement, telling of an apology from the Prince himself who seemingly felt great remorse for his comments. Indeed, viewed subjectively, it seems clear that the Prince himself is not a racist. His remarks were more than likely meant in jest, with the Prince himself stating that the video was intended for his fellow cadets, and that the victim was a close friend.

However, this is besides the point. If one takes the use of the word ‘Paki’ objectively, then there is a clear difficulty in accepting the Prince’s apology and following Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s approach of ‘…giving him the benefit of the doubt’. Whilst Prince Harry has indeed done many wonderful things for charity, in addition to demonstrating his bravery in the Afghanistan last year, it is difficult to forgive the Prince quite so easily. Continue reading “Royal Racism”