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Royal spokesman defends Prince Harry
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-02-21 17:11

A royal spokesman sprang to the defense of Prince Harry in a letter published Friday after a tabloid columnist called Prince Charles' younger son a "national disgrace."

The Daily Express's Carol Sarler devoted several hundred words in her column Wednesday to roasting Prince Harry, who has been traveling and working in Australia and Africa since he finished his education at Eton in June.

She ridiculed the Australian sojourn, making comments about his behavior at rugby matches there, and said he has now "opted for eight lavish weeks in interesting parts of Africa, where he has reluctantly agreed to spend a bit of the trip staring at poor people."

"That Prince Harry is a national disgrace is scarcely news," she said.

Two years ago, Harry was widely reported to have indulged in underage drinking and smoking marijuana. His father sent him to a south London rehabilitation clinic for a day so he could talk to recovering addicts and see the dangers of drug use.

Friday's Daily Express published a letter from Paddy Harverson, Prince Charles' press secretary, calling the Sarler column "grossly unfair and ill-informed." The paper simply printed the letter, without comment.

"During his three-month stay in Australia, Harry spent more than two-thirds of his time working on cattle farms," fencing, herding cattle, branding and general laboring, Harverson said.

A week ago, Harry began his two-month stay in the tiny southern African kingdom of Lesotho, currently suffering from a severe drought.

Harverson wrote that the prince had insisted he spend his time there working on projects for disadvantaged children, rather than on VIP visits.

"I can assure you that his two months there will be anything but `lavish'," Harverson wrote, calling Sarler's column a "very unfair and unfounded attack on Prince Harry's character" that showed "little or no understanding of Harry as a person."

Prince Harry has chosen a military career and is due to enter Sandhurst military academy after his time off.

 
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