Prince Harry Current Events 23: January 2012 to March 2013

[Tiggersk8]

Originally Posted by Elenath

What was he supposed to be talking about then?? As far as I can tell the interviews were supposed to be about his time in Afghanistan so how do people reckon he talks about it when he's not allowed to mention any of the things soldiers do when they go to war.

It doesn't matter what he says, the press will use it against him no matter what and people will think what they want. I saw a comment in the Guardian (I think) saying he is "severely intellectually challenged". He may not test well but neither does my niece and she has an iq of 142.

For him (and others in this situation) this is a lose lose situation and it must be frustrating.

If he's so intellectually challenged, then why is he a Co Pilot of one of, if not *the*, most technically advanced War Helicopter ever designed?

*snort*

Thank God that Harry and all of his Squadron mates are home safe and sound!!

[AfricanAUSSIE]

What to they say NGalitzine?

[NGalitzine]

Originally Posted by AfricanAUSSIE

What do they say NGalitzine?

To assume makes an ass out of u and me.

[AfricanAUSSIE]

I suspect Henry is quite intelligent but as he says, not an academic. He can be articulate and appears to be quite personable. I also suspect he is spoilt and immature (which helps the doubters doubt!) but he does have such a fun, down to earth attitude it is hard to dislike him. Do not most people associate intelligence with academic achievement? And aren't many of the highest achievers and best contributors to our society non academics? I think it is an easy way to insult him since this has been the say since he was a boy.

I hope he has a good sense of his own powers where his intelligence is concerned, but I doubt it. He seems to go along with the jokes...very annoying!

[AfricanAUSSIE]

Thank you NGalitzine. Sadly if that is true I am afraid I have often been guilty of making an ass of myself...especially in science! But perhaps this saying only applies to gossip and that being so, it would be quite right, I assume? :-)

[Hollie]

Welcome back Harry

Let's hope the media can just get off his back for the next 5 weeks so that he can enjoy his post-deployment leave in peace.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by Dman

Prince Harry did not go with the rest of his 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, to their headquarters in Wattisham in Suffolk.

St James’s Palace said he left Brize Norton privately, but did not comment on where he was headed.

— ITV

I am going to assume that when 622 Sqn, 3 Regiment Army Air Corp get to Wattisham the first, the very first thing they will be doing is being met by their family, friends and lovers. The presence of Harry's contingent would be a huge stressor not to mention a crashing inconvenience at such a time of joy and emotion.

They would not want their very personal moments of intense joy to be media fodder, nor would they appreciate being elbowed out of the way so the media could maybe spot a tear in Harry's eye when he met his loved ones.

Oh good one . . . Prince Charles looked like he wanted to cry! Better still, a total overlook of the returning soldiers in favour of the size of Catherine's bump!

The solution was an absolute no-brainer!

[Hollie]

Originally Posted by MARG

I am going to assume that when 622 Sqn, 3 Regiment Army Air Corp get to Wattisham the first, the very first thing they will be doing is being met by their family, friends and lovers. The presence of Harry's contingent would be a huge stressor not to mention a crashing inconvenience at such a time of joy and emotion.

They would not want their very personal moments of intense joy to be media fodder, nor would they appreciate being elbowed out of the way so the media could maybe spot a tear in Harry's eye when he met his loved ones.

Oh good one . . . Prince Charles looked like he wanted to cry! Better still, a total overlook of the returning soldiers in favour of the size of Catherine's bump!

The solution was an absolute no-brainer!

Agree totally! I bet this was the plan all along and what Harry wanted. That's the reason why he emphasized on the words "behind closed doors" in his interview when talking about meeting family.

[AfricanAUSSIE]

Very plausible Marg, didn't think of that.

[Tiggersk8]

Originally Posted by MARG

I am going to assume that when 622 Sqn, 3 Regiment Army Air Corp get to Wattisham the first, the very first thing they will be doing is being met by their family, friends and lovers. The presence of Harry's contingent would be a huge stressor not to mention a crashing inconvenience at such a time of joy and emotion.

They would not want their very personal moments of intense joy to be media fodder, nor would they appreciate being elbowed out of the way so the media could maybe spot a tear in Harry's eye when he met his loved ones.

Oh good one . . . Prince Charles looked like he wanted to cry! Better still, a total overlook of the returning soldiers in favour of the size of Catherine's bump!

The solution was an absolute no-brainer!

Exactly Marg!! Not to mention the additional security headaches resulting from any of the Family being at the Base to meet/greet Harry on his return home. This, as you so rightly said, was the no brainer solution.

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by MARG

I am going to assume that when 622 Sqn, 3 Regiment Army Air Corp get to Wattisham the first, the very first thing they will be doing is being met by their family, friends and lovers. The presence of Harry's contingent would be a huge stressor not to mention a crashing inconvenience at such a time of joy and emotion.

According to the press, 662 squadron have a few days to 'finish' things off at their Suffolk base before going on 5 weeks leave on Monday. Whilst I don't know whether that involves meeting family, they clearly have some work to do.
Elizabeth, The Queen was able to meet her son when he returned from the Falklands and by all accounts the press wouldn't have been allowed into RAF Wattisham after seeing Henry land. I don't understand how having another family around would be a 'crash inconvenience' there would probably only be his dad and Camilla. William's still in Wales and Catherine wouldn't be seen on her own now

[AfricanAUSSIE]

What about those cameras on everyone's phone Henry was talking about? This was not an issue in Elizabeth's time...

It would however, have been a boost for those returned soldiers to have him there greeting his family like they. It does highlight the difference between himself and his piers regardless of his repeated statements - that he, in the army, is treated the same as everyone else.

[Artemisia]

'I don't know what normal is any more': Prince Harry reveals he saw seven-year-old girl killed by Taliban on his last day if Afghan tour

Prince Harry has admitted he 'doesn't know what normal is anymore' after arriving back in the UK from his second tour of Afghanistan. The Apache co-pilot gunner has been on post-deployment 'decompression' at a British military base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, since leaving Helmand province on Monday night. Harry landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on a regular personnel flight but did not travel on with his unit, 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, to their base in Wattisham, Suffolk. The 28-year-old said a seven-year-old girl was shot down by insurgents on his final day on tour, adding: 'Normality is a very ambiguous thing.'

[AfricanAUSSIE]

I watched the interview and he does NOT say that he saw the killing of the girl but that a 7 year girl was killed by the taliban on his last day. Big difference!

He was right about the interviewer asking the most bizarre question ever. What the hell was he asking him about his family tree for? Where was that leading? Henry seemed to know but I am clueless.

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by AfricanAUSSIE

What about those cameras on everyone's phone Henry was talking about? This was not an issue in Elizabeth's time...

That would be down to the people who were at the 'arrival' if there was one, but IMO there'd be too busy hugging and kissing their loved ones to care who's around them. These families know Henry served with their brothers, husbands, cousins etc.

[katmen]

regarding Harrys leaving not with his sqn. maybe he has orders from Commander in Chief HM to get to Sandringham :-)

[Dman]

Prince Harry 'unlikely' to see front line action again:
Prince Harry 'unlikely' to see front line action again - Telegraph

[EIIR]

FYI, there's a programme which has just started on ITV1 called "What next for Prince Harry?". Links can be found in the usual places I'm sure.

[Lee27]

Maybe Harry's "ducking out" is to enable the rest of a squadron to meet up with their families without the overwhelming media coverage. You know the media would be shoving mics into the faces of the squadron members looking for comments/quotes.
It could easily be very distracting to those who just want to hug their sons and husbands and fathers.

[EIIR]

Maybe Harry would've been uncomfortable greeting his family in front of everyone? Maybe Charles was still in Liverpool, as he has been for the last couple of days and couldn't get to Suffolk in time so arranged to meet up with his at Highgrove, which would also have been much more convenient for the Cambridges coming from Wales? Or maybe the Queen had arranged a dinner for him at Sandringham? She's the Commander-in-chief, if she wanted to see him last night no-one would dare say no.

It's something of an irony that people would accuse Harry, who has just stepped off the plane after 5 months of putting his own life on the line for his comrades, to be "ducking out". He could've "ducked out" of Afghanistan altogether and sat in an Army barracks for the last 5 months, but he actually changed his career trajectory completely to serve with his mates. He's a prince and so can never really be just another soldier. Harry's PR value to the Army is huge, they're going to want to work with him to hang onto him as long as possible I would've thought.