tennisoz

Harry: Down Under and downcast
By Peter Fray
London
David Wroe
September 29, 2003

Prince Harry's Australian sojourn is becoming more like a West End farce than a big adventure, amid fresh reports that he may throw in his job as a jackaroo in outback Queensland and leave the country to escape media intrusion.

The Prince cancelled plans to attend a rodeo at the weekend, adding fuel to reports of his displeasure with the media attention he has received since arriving at the remote Tooloombilla Station, near Mitchell.

Members of the notorious British tabloid media - in something of a role reversal - have pointed the finger at some of their Australian counterparts for allegedly going too far and flouting protocol in their coverage of the young prince.

In London, a spokeswoman for the Prince of Wales yesterday insisted that "Harry appears to be fine now" and that "things have settled down". But there is continuing British press speculation that the Prince will pull out of Australia and possibly relocate to South America or Africa.

The cancellation of Prince Harry's weekend rodeo trip came after a grainy, long-lens shot of him mingling with cows ran on the front of Brisbane's The Courier Mail and Channel Nine's A Current Affair aired similar TV footage shot at a distance from outside the remote cattle station.

Nick Campion, manager of the nearby Injune Motel, said British and Australian journalists who stayed at the motel had grumbled about the behaviour of some of the Australians.

But Leigh Anderson, director of news for Channel Nine in Queensland, was unrepentant. He was unaware of the British media's informal pact to leave Princes William and Harry alone outside official engagements. And if he had been, it would have made no difference.

Why were British journalists out there, he asked, if not to get shots themselves? "If they wanted to sit in the Injune hotel... and then say they didn't get the shots because of some informal agreement, I couldn't give a toss."

Blame for the debacle has also been levelled at Mark Dyer, Harry's minder, who has been cited as the source of the reports the Prince might pull out. According to British tabloid News of the World, Prince Charles is furious with Mr Dyer for making unauthorised statements to the media about the Prince's state of mind. One of Charles's aides said: "We started out with Australia delighted to see Harry and we've ended up at war."

Comments????

TennisOz

karawara88

They should leave the poor guy alone, he is who is through no fault of his own.

bondipom

I pity anyone who is a Ginger. Carrot topped w****r

Dee_e56

I agree, They should leave him alone he never choose to be born into the royal family and he is just trying to get on with his life. Also he never choose to be born ginger and those who make nasty comments about his hair colour usually say these things because they have issues of there own and bye saying bad things about others it helps them to feel better or so they think. And before you ask no I am not ginger and I'm not bothered bye the royal family either.

Dee

bondipom

Vive la Republique de Oz

Why on earth should a helicopter bother the spoilt pot smoking inbred? The royals make use of the media to justify the millions they mug off taxayers so Fleet St have every right to use the royals.

karawara88

If only it was just a helicopter. Suppose we have to remember that it was continual harassment from the media that resulted in the death of his mother. I am not a royalist and think somtimes they court the press as do the "stars" but at the end of the day the press can be the scum of the earth when they want to destroy someone.

I think its a shame as he is only ever going to be a "spare" so has to live in the shadow of William whos being groomed for the job of heir. Can' be easy thing to have to deal with even with the wealth etc.

PeteY

Everyone jumps to his defence, and to be honest, i would'nt want to be in his shoes.

However.....

He has his life paid for by the public, directly or indirectly. He was born into the royal family and has enjoyed all the benefits it brings. All the cash, the education etc.

Its not somthing i personally would like, but you can't feel sorry for him.

If he were given the opportunity to have jacked it all in, had nothing etc.....bet he would've picked the money.

Not his fault he was born a royal.....not my fault i was born a pauper.

Badge

Pete - one of the best summings up I have ever seen on the subject.

My view - traditionalist that I am - is to always look on the bright side - the Civil list as far as I know has been cut right down the last 20 years or so, and there is no doubt that the Royal Famiily brings in revenue from tourism from overseas. It's a real pull for the Yanks/Japs. They make a lot of money from their land but so does anyone with a home nowadays. They get taxed on it, don't they? Cut the list down to a few key members, stop buying Aston Martins etc..

Also - having to be in public is a frighful bore. I mean - I would hate to be in the papers all the time, open shops, garden fetes - put up with all the protocol. I suspect it's not all a bag of laughs. We will never know as we're not in the family.

badgers

MeganEkno

I feel sorry for Hazza yet I believe that if his daddy was footing the bill for his travels and not the Aussie taxpayer he would be fully entitled to privacy. However, since Charlie Boy isn't, I think that people (including the Australian media) are entitled to value for money

karawara88

Thought the Ozzies wanted to bin off the royals so have no idea why they are so interested in Harry, maybe because they have bugger all else to report on the news.

SteveBannister

Yet he doesn't try to dis-associate himself from 'The Firm' and try to make it on his own, he doesn't give up the millions, and not even a dentist can remove the silver spoon lodged in his gob.

They still try to convince us that they are normal people, but how naive do they think we are?

Please Harry, either stay behind your castle walls and keep away from us or give it all up for a three-bed-semi in Merseyside. Until you do, you have no right to moan. I canshow you some people who have a right to moan!

PeteY

Never going to happen......but well put

karawara88

So how is going to do that, even if he did his life would not be "normal". Hes stuck with his lot and unlike most of us, can't change that situation.

PeteY

And his "lot" is that he will be harrased for the rest of his life by the press and tourists wherever he goes.

THAT, is the price he has to pay for having endless supplies of free money, and never having to work a proper day in his life.

Your right, he is stuck with it. I feel so sorry for him.

karawara88

And his mother paid the ultimate price, somehow I dont think thats fair. Not for any 16 year old kid for thats what he is a kid.

Not saying I agree with the lifestyle or how they they achieve it, also not saying I agree with the Royal family, but because of them and the generations before them is why the UK has such a fascinating history (good & bad) and the heritage that places like Australia and the US envy.