Harry Story Shines Light On Royals

Prince Harry going to a costume party in a Nazi uniform still has people up in arms around the world. In England, a poll found three out of four Brits felt it was wrong. Leaders of the European Union are considering a ban on all Nazi symbols.

But, says Vanity Fair magazine and royals watcher Victoria Mather, the story may run far deeper.

"This story implicates the whole of the aristocracy –- the Harry crowd," Mather told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith, "because they do think racism and bigotry are funny. There were people at that party in black face."

What's more, Mather says, the incident doesn't help the royals' standing in Britain, in general: "A story like this encourages republicanism, rampant republicanism."

That said, Mather points out you also have to "look at it another way. On both sides of the Atlantic, on Broadway and London's West End, audiences are crowding into 'The Producers' to see 'Springtime for Hitler.' "

Mather notes that the story continues to resonate in Britain. "It is still absolutely huge. It's the big, post-tsunami story. The tsunami story is running out. Now you've got this gift of a story, which is this stupid young prince making this terrible, public gaffe. Why wouldn't anyone tell him how thick he was being?"

Harry needs guidance, and gets precious little, Mather asserts: "There's no one. He has only been seen by his father three days in the last six weeks. There was nobody at home. What's significant is he went to the party with his brother. But, he did not put on the swastika armband, which was homemade, until he got to the party, when he went into lavatory and then put it on, thinking it was a huge joke.

"Now, the implications of this -- it may seem a completely disproportionate response, because it was a private party, and it was very unattractive that some snitch would take the picture and sell it. But how thick are you not to know that every single kid at that age has a phone with a camera in it?

"But this guy (Harry) is stupid. You have to be very stupid to graduate from Eaton with the worst results in the whole school: 'A' levels in something like needlework and art."

It gets worse, Mather says. "(Harry's) girlfriend is a problem, too, because her father is associated with the despot Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. This is not a great girlfriend."

Mather expressed doubt Harry would wind up in military school, as has been long planned, because he continues to cite knee problems. But they don't stop him from participating in scuba diving, skiing and polo, she observes.

There weren't any kind words from Mather about Harry's father, Prince Charles: "He's out for the holiday in Scotland with Mrs. Parker Bowles. He didn't even come home to spank this young man and say, 'Brace up, mate.' He cares, but he doesn't know what to do.

"Talking about the advisers, the advisers don't know what to do, because there is no advice, there is no parenting and there is no mother (the late Princess Diana), and this boy is just not the shiniest jewel in the crown."

The Harry incident "has probably put back" any possible marriage of Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Of Charles, Mather says, "You've already been failure once as a husband. You're a failure as a father. You're just a failure, aren't you?"