Posted on February 12, 2009

Prince Harry Sent on Equality Training by Army After ‘Paki’ Slur

Daily Mail (London), February 12, 1009

Prince Harry has been ordered to attend an equality and diversity course by Army chiefs after being formally disciplined for his ‘Paki’ remark.

It is the second time the prince will have had to undertake the racial awareness training, which is mandatory for recruits.

The course aims to educate soldiers on what type of behaviour and language is unacceptable in today’s multicultural Army.

The decision for the prince to repeat the course was taken by his superiors after a review.

The incident, which happened in 2006 during a training exercise in Cyprus, has been written into his permanent Army record but is not expected to hinder his military career.

Prince Harry, who apologised for the remark said it was not meant maliciously.

A Clarence House spokesman said: ‘Prince Harry has been subject to normal Army disciplinary procedures. The matter is now closed.’

The news comes as he was embroiled in a new race row after a black comedian revealed he told him: ‘You don’t sound like a black chap.’

The royal made the remark to Stephen K. Amos after he performed a stand up routine for the Prince of Wales’ 60th birthday celebrations.

Speaking on Channel Five’s The Wright Stuff on Tuesday, Amos said it occurred as he joined a line-up of stars to meet the royals.

He explained: ‘Harry said, “Hello, tell me, amusing, but you don’t sound like a black chap”.

Presenter Matthew Wright looked on stunned as Amos added: ‘I wanted to say, “How is I supposed to sound?”‘

Asked if the remark had been made in jest, he replied: ‘I hope it was.’

Co-host Lowri Turner declared: ‘That’s not the point.’

The comedian, who has appeared on shows including the BBC’s Have I Got News For You, later put the comment down to a poor attempt at making banter.

Charles’ birthday celebration was screened on ITV in November.

The comic appeared alongside comedy greats such as Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese and Robin Williams.

The equality course, which is expected to be more intensive than the first, was ordered as a response to the row which broke out when he called fellow Army cadet Ahmed Raza Khan his ‘little Paki friend’.

But his fellow soldier jumped to his defence and insisted that he was not offended by the remark.

‘The Prince called me by a nickname which is usually very insulting but I know he didn’t mean it that way,’ he was quoted as telling The Sun.

‘We were close friends when we were training and I know he is not a racist.’

It later emerged that an Indian polo-playing friend of the Prince of Wales and his sons is known to them as ‘Sooty’.

Prince Harry was also heavily criticised in 2005 after wearing a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party.

Naomi Byron, national secretary of Youth Against Racism in Europe, told The Mirror: ‘Many young people will be disgusted by his remark–how is a black man meant to sound?

‘But it is not just Prince Harry that is at fault. The aristocratic, rich circles he moves in obviously don’t have a problem with this kind of racist stereotyping.’

Former Commission for Racial Equality chairman Lord Herman Ouseley said: ‘It is very sad that Prince Harry thinks black people all talk in the same way. It just goes to show how ill-educated members of the upper classes can be.’

A spokesman for Clarence House refused to comment, saying ‘We do not comment on allegations about private conversations involving the Royals.’