Dear Prince Harry: Go home

AP Photo/Frank Augstein

The British royal formerly known as Prince Harry has taken a new position with the Aspen Institute. He’s going to be serving on a “Commission on Information Disorder,” where he will supposedly be studying the spread of incorrect information throughout America. He went on Dax Shepard’s podcast recently to discuss his new role. After dumping out a sizable serving of word salad and catch phrases, Harry decided to share some of his feelings about the First Amendment and how there might be “loopholes” in it to prevent such misinformation from being promulgated. Oh, and he thinks that the constitutional provision that assures Americans the right to free speech is kind of “bonkers.” (Daily Caller)

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When discussing the spread of misinformation, Prince Harry expressed confusion with the First Amendment.

“I’ve got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers. I don’t want to start going down the First Amendment route because that’s a huge subject and one which I don’t understand because I’ve only been here a short time,” Prince Harry said. “But, you can find a loophole in anything. You can capitalize or exploit what’s not said rather than uphold what is said.”

Prince Harry’s comments drew rebukes by many on Twitter.

Let’s just break this down for a moment, shall we? So Harry Windsor (who is not a prince in this country because we don’t do royalty) has a problem with the First Amendment. Perhaps that should have been predictable since he comes from a nation without any such assured freedoms. Of course, he never had to worry about anyone squelching his own speech since he came from one of the most pampered, privileged and affluent families on the planet.

He claims that he doesn’t want to “start going down the First Amendment route” (which he believes is “bonkers”) because it’s a subject he “doesn’t understand,” only having been here a short time. Not for nothing, Harry, but if you don’t understand it, perhaps you shouldn’t be commenting on it in the first place. And if the goal you are setting for yourself is to find “loopholes” in the First Amendment to silence Americans, perhaps we should be rethinking your visa situation.

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Harry Windsor is a guest in this country and we generally expect our guests to be a bit better behaved. I understand he needs to find a job because his family is cutting him off from his royal riches, but he should also keep in mind that we don’t owe him any sort of bowing and scraping. He’s taken up residence in the nation that kicked his country’s ass precisely so we could be assured of those constitutional rights.

Further, the project he’s supposedly embarking on in his new position is seriously problematic to begin with. Is Harry’s commission going to take responsibility for what passes as accurate information and disinformation? We’ve already seen how Twitter and Facebook handle such questions. You can be shut down and silenced on those platforms for saying “controversial” things such as the idea that the human race is comprised of two genders. Suggesting that Israel has the right to defend itself against terror attacks or even simply exist can similarly see you branded as a disinformation agent.

Is this foreigner really the guy to put in charge of such a project? Particularly when he admits that he’s completely unfamiliar with and befuddled by the concept of free speech, I’m guessing that he’s really not up for the job.

With that said, I’ll offer another possible career path for Harry Windsor. Maybe you should just go back home where you belong. And take Meghan Markle with you. I’m sure there’s some nonprofit operating in England who would love to have an ex-royal on the payroll just for the prestige it might bring in Great Britain.

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David Strom 6:00 AM | April 25, 2024
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