THE issue of Prince Harry’s taste in fancy dress outfits has taken on geopolitical importance after German politicians demanded a Europe-wide ban on the use of Nazi insignia.
The prince’s decision to attend a party dressed in Nazi uniform, including a swastika armband, so offended Germany’s Liberal party that it has called for such symbols to be banned throughout the continent.
The country long ago outlawed the displa
y of all forms of Nazi insignia within its own borders.
Back home, the row over Harry’s fancy dress choice showed little sign of dying down, as Prince Charles himself came under attack for allegedly spending too little time with his youngest son.
Meanwhile, members of the young prince’s social set were reported to have launched a witch hunt to find the person responsible for selling the snaps of the Royals at the private party to the press.
Harry has issued a written apology making clear his regret over the incident, and Clarence House continues to insist he will not make the grovelling public apology demanded in some quarters.
But while opinions at home are divided over whether Harry took a joke too far or committed an unforgivable sin, the international implications of his actions continue to mount.
Silvana Koch-Merin, Germany’s Liberal spokeswoman at the European Parliament, said yesterday: "The whole of Europe once suffered under Nazi crimes, therefore it makes sense to ban Nazi symbols across Europe."
Germany has tough anti-fascist laws which ban the use of Nazi symbols such as the swastika and the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute. It is also illegal to distribute Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, which is available in most countries, including Israel.
Markus Soeder, the general secretary of Germany’s Christian Socialist Union opposition conservative party, said: "In a Europe grounded in peace and freedom there should be no place for Nazi symbols. They should be banned throughout Europe."
Soeder also urged the German government to push for a more balanced history programme in British schools.
"After this incident with Prince Harry, the government should encourage our European friends in London to lay more weight on Germany’s development beyond the Nazi period in history lessons," he said.
There have also been demands for Harry to attend an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, along with Prince Edward, this month.
Sources close to Harry’s circle of friends say a "witch hunt" has been launched to find out who sold his pictures to The Sun newspaper, which published the image last week.
The party was thrown by Richard Meade, the former Olympic showjumper, for his children James, 23, Harry, 22, and Lucy, 21, at his farm in West Littleton, Wiltshire.
The party was not conspicuously politically correct to begin with. The theme was "colonials and natives" and some of the guests had blacked their faces. There appears to have been little adverse reaction from those at the party about Harry’s costume.
The real anger in Harry’s circle is reserved for whoever sold the pictures for a sum believed to be in the region of £10,000. The partygoer who approached The Sun is said to have believed they would be interested in a picture of Prince William dressed as a lion.
Charles too has come under fire for allegedly failing to control his son. He has reportedly spent just three days with Harry since early December and has refused to cut short his holiday in Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, to deal with the crisis.
However, a royal insider last night told Scotland on Sunday that Charles was in regular telephone contact with his son.
A close friend of Harry reportedly said yesterday he was too immature to be left to his own devices and was surrounded by "hooray idiots" who encourage his reckless behaviour.
Clarence House had planned to announce what Harry was planning to do over the next few months before he joins the army as an officer cadet at Sandhurst military academy in May. But those details will now not be announced for another couple of weeks in the hope that the furore over the Nazi uniform gaffe dies down.
