The mobile phone images of Harry,
who has officers guarding him round the clock, have raised concerns about the
prince’s protection
Party prince: Harry in Las Vegas
Twitter
And shots of Prince Harry cavorting naked with a mystery woman
will no doubt have caused huge embarrassment at Buckingham Palace after they
were seen around the world on the internet.
The mobile phone images also sparked
a security alert with questions raised about the prince’s protection.
Prince Harry was snapped playing a game of strip billiards at the £4,750-a-night Wynn Encore hotel VIP suite in Las Vegas.
Another shows him bear-hugging an
undressed girl with his bottom bared to the camera as they tussle with a pool
cue.
Eye for the ladies: Prince with other girls in Vegas
Royal aides tonight defended the
prince’s crazy antics and insisted he was simply “letting his hair down” before
he is sent to war-torn Afghanistan as an Apache pilot.
Desperate courtiers called in
lawyers in a bid to prevent the embarrassing images being published in the UK
or shown on TV, despite them being widely available on the internet and in
papers around the world.
As Harry returned to Britain last
night, a source told how the prince and his pals invited up to six women back
to his suite at the five-star hotel.
The source added: “They wanted to
start the holiday with a bang. Their motto for the weekend was, ‘Drink and be
merry for tomorrow we may die.’
“They went down to the hotel bar,
met some girls and invited them up to their suite. It got pretty messy.”
One royal aide said: “Some members
of the royal household are dismayed about these pictures.
"But Harry is like any other
young man who likes to go out and party with his friends, it’s just that with
him it gets more attention.
“He is just letting off steam ahead
of what will be a very important next phase in his military career.”
Harry is guarded by close protection
officers who work round-the-clock, and throughout his Las Vegas trip they
warned revellers not to photograph him.
But despite their efforts, pictures
and videos have emerged online showing Harry and pals including Tom “Skippy”
Inskip, 26, and Arthur Landon, 30, revelling at extravagant pool parties.
Top: Bernard Hogan-Howe said protection officers are not
there to regulate prince's life
PA
Met Police commissioner Bernard
Hogan-Howe last night insisted his officers are not responsible for any
pictures that may be taken of the prince at private functions.
He added: “Protection officers are
there to protect him for security reasons, they are not there to regulate his
life.”
Harry’s former protection chief Dai
Davies said while looking after the prince was a priority, he also had the
right to relax.
He added: “I don’t envy their job.
It must be a nightmare at times, trying to ensure that he doesn’t get into
these scrapes.
“Harry’s been working hard, and was
on holiday when the pictures were taken.
"He’s on Army leave and no
doubt will be going back to fairly strenuous duties.
“His protection officers will assess
the situation, and in this particular situation, other than being manhandled by
women, I can’t see there is an issue.
“From a security point of view, most
of the women are naked so I couldn’t see any weapons on any of them.
“That particular venue is
well-guarded and well-protected, and Harry would have had his protection
officers with him. He is entitled to let his hair down.
“It’s a matter of taste whether you
want to frolic with women.
"It’s unfortunate someone got
hold of pictures. For protection officers, it’s about getting a balance.
“Sometimes events can go a little
further than you would like, but that happens if you are protecting a
27-year-old multi-millionaire who has red blood in his veins.
"If he chooses to bring a
pretty blonde back to his room and she happens to get her camera or her phone
out and takes quick snapshots then it would be almost impossible to prevent
this.”
Pals: Harry with swimmer Ryan Lochte in the pool
Coleman-Rayner
Harry and his pals had been partying
since they arrived in Vegas last week.
On Sunday the prince was seen
jumping in and out of pools, drinking cocktails, playing with giant
inflatables, chatting to bikini-clad women and even racing US Olympic swimmer
Ryan Lochte at the exclusive XS nightclub.
There were suggestions last night
Harry could face a reprimand by Army chiefs who expect officers to maintain
high standards of behaviour “off and on operations”.
The suite Prince Harry was staying
in one of the best hotels in Las Vegas.
Set over two floors high up in a
192metre tower it has a floor space covering 541 square metres, which is more
than seven times as big as the average British house.
Pictures on the hotel’s website show
the golden baize-covered pool table in the suite surrounded by panoramic floor
to ceiling windows on two sides.
Describing the rooms it adds: “The
billiard room is enhanced with a flat screen high definition LCD television.”
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar