# Prince Harry protects infantry man from gay-bashing by fellow soldiers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619 "2013-06-10T13:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/1 "2013-06-10T13:27:29Z")
Interesting news article about Prince Harry: [Prince Harry Reportedly Defended Gay Soldier From Homophobic Attack](http://ca.eonline.com/news/427975/prince-harry-reportedly-defended-gay-soldier-from-homophobic-attack): > [@](#): > > To one gay solider, Prince Harry lived up to his duty to protect those in need. > > A former fellow infantryman is praising the royal for reportedly saving him after six soldiers supposedly threatened to assault him due to his sexuality while their squad was stationed in Canada back in 2008. > … > Wharton writes that during the four-month training exercise in Canada, he was “on track for a battering by six soldiers,” and he finally decided to inform Harry, with whom he worked for several weeks. > > “I told him: ‘I think I’m about to be murdered by the infantry,'” Wharton recalls. “I climbed into the turret and talked Harry through exactly what had happened. He had a complete look of bewilderment on his face. I didn’t hold back: I told him everything that had gone on. I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes.” > > According Wharton, Harry purportedly took action swiftly. > > “He said: ‘Right. I’m going to sort this s–t out once and for all.” > > Wharton writes that “Harry climbed out of the tank and started having a go. I worried he was about to make the whole thing worse, but he wasn’t holding back. Prince Harry was sticking up for me and putting a stop to the trouble. I had been on track for a battering and had been rescued.” > > The royal was reportedly eventually able to smooth out the situation. “He came back 10 minutes later and told me the problem had been ‘sorted,'” Wharton writes. So, Harry may be the wild younger royal, but he seems to have good instincts. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/2 "2013-06-10T14:01:39Z")
Is that one of those four-coloured pens in his pocket in the picture in that article? I haven’t seen one of those since the 80s. And, you know, good on him for sticking up for people. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/3 "2013-06-10T14:30:39Z")
Good for Harry. I get the impression that he’s ‘one of the boys’ and very well respected by his fellow servicemen, so I can imagine that if anyone can help in a situation like that, he can. That and he’s an officer and, you know, royal and all that. These men are fighting for his grandma, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/4 "2013-06-10T16:33:20Z")
He sounds like he is a good officer, defined as an officer who is concerned about the welfare of the men under his command. Loyalty should go both ways. And yeah, that’s one of those 4-colour pens. No, you don’t see them sticking out of someone’s shirt pocket much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/5 "2013-06-10T16:41:59Z")
Did he not do no more than his duty. Which is to look out for those under his command. Why is this praiseworthy? Just because he is a royal? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/6 "2013-06-10T16:50:58Z")
What are the rules on gays in the UK military? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/7 "2013-06-10T17:33:25Z")
It’s not unknown for people to “look the other way” and not take action even when they should. I think it indicates that Harry is a good officer who takes care of issues promptly. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/8 "2013-06-10T17:41:12Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Did he not do no more than his duty. Which is to look out for those under his command. Why is this praiseworthy? Just because he is a royal? Because too often this sort of problem is not addressed by the chain of command. Or have you not seen all the recent news on sexual assault in the US military? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/9 "2013-06-10T17:54:43Z")
Sorting out gay bashers is easier when you have your own personal protection detail. 😉 Still, it shows that Harry is a good officer. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/10 "2013-06-11T11:34:44Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Did he not do no more than his duty. Which is to look out for those under his command. Why is this praiseworthy? Just because he is a royal? We Brits have low expectations of our Royal Family. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/11 "2013-06-11T11:40:01Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Did he not do no more than his duty. Which is to look out for those under his command. Why is this praiseworthy? Just because he is a royal? > [@njtt](#): > > We Brits have low expectations of our Royal Family. Coupled with an insatiable appetite for reporting anything related to the royal family by certain sections of our media. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/12 "2013-06-11T16:46:00Z")
If he wants suggestions for more he can do for us gays, letting more naked pics be taken would go a long way… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/13 "2013-06-11T20:54:05Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Is that one of those four-coloured pens in his pocket in the picture in that article? I haven’t seen one of those since the 80s. > > And, you know, good on him for sticking up for people. Oh, yeah. I remember them. Blue barrel for medium point and orange for fine point. Plus you could unscrew the barrel and it became a sort of kaleidoscope. (I was bored a lot in high school.) Yeah, also good for Harry. He’s a prince. Meanwhile, dang. Amazon sells the blue-barrel crappy medium point 4-color pens, but not the cool orange-barrel fine point ones. That’s really disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/14 "2013-06-11T21:00:41Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What are the rules on gays in the UK military? Allowed to serve openly since 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/15 "2013-06-11T21:03:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Because too often this sort of problem is not addressed by the chain of command. Or have you not seen all the recent news on sexual assault in the US military? Not to mention the press tends to gravitate toward negativity in general. Sometimes it’s nice to restore a little faith in humanity with a story about a mundane thing working the way it should. Bonus a Royal is involved. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/16 "2013-06-11T21:04:37Z")
Good for Harry. He seems like an amiable bonehead, got a good streak of that insensitivity from his old dad but a sense of compassion. Good on yer! Incidentally, it seemed that William would be the handsome one and Harry the more… er, unfortunate looking. Harry’s a good looking dude, while baldness does not suit Wills. He looks a bit like his uncle Edward. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/17 "2013-06-11T21:23:39Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Incidentally, it seemed that William would be the handsome one and Harry the more… er, unfortunate looking. Harry’s a good looking dude, while baldness does not suit Wills. He looks a bit like his uncle Edward. That’s what I’ve been saying for a few years now. Wills is definitely taking on the Edward tonsure, while Harry (the funny-looking one as a kid) has become awfully good-looking. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/18 "2013-06-12T12:46:45Z")
Having read a bigger extract, Wharton (who was openly gay, and there is no problem with that) is the one who comes off (to me) as a bit of a prat. The issue that prompted his near beating was that he bragged about bedding a fellow infantryman while on base and on exercises - the blokes (mates of the probably closeted other guy) who were about to administer the beating were in the wrong, but a bit of discretion on the part of Wharton would probably have avoided the problem altogether. And then he bragged about repeating the exercise a few days later, with another fellow soldier. As for Harry, the Windsor clan (apart from Edward) seem to be good military stock - Phillip, Charles, Andrew, William and Harry all have served and served well. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/19 "2013-06-12T14:36:31Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Having read a bigger extract, Wharton (who was openly gay, and there is no problem with that) is the one who comes off (to me) as a bit of a prat. > > The issue that prompted his near beating was that he bragged about bedding a fellow infantryman while on base and on exercises - the blokes (mates of the probably closeted other guy) who were about to administer the beating were in the wrong, but a bit of discretion on the part of Wharton would probably have avoided the problem altogether. > > And then he bragged about repeating the exercise a few days later, with another fellow soldier. So, he should have disciplined Wharton instead? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619/20 "2013-06-12T14:50:51Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > The issue that prompted his near beating was that he bragged about bedding a fellow infantryman while on base and on exercises - the blokes (mates of the probably closeted other guy) who were about to administer the beating were in the wrong, but a bit of discretion on the part of Wharton would probably have avoided the problem altogether. I didn’t read the article very carefully but I got the impression he was joining in a general conversation about who was getting laid and how frequently. In my opinion, if finding out that another guy fucked one of your friends disturbs you in the midst of a whip-around on everyone’s nighttime activities, a dollop of introspection is in order. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-protects-infantry-man-from-gay-bashing-by-fellow-soldiers/660619.md?page=2)