cannabisnews.com: For One Young Royal, an Early Whiff of Scandal 





For One Young Royal, an Early Whiff of Scandal 
Posted by FoM on January 13, 2002 at 21:40:24 PT
By T.R. Reid, Washington Post Foreign Service
Source: Washington Post
Britain's Sunday papers hauled out their largest headline type today to banner the following news item: A 16-year-old boy on school vacation experimented with alcohol and marijuana.Normally, that would be the quintessential dog-bites-man non-story, but the teenager in question was none other than Henry Charles Albert David Windsor -- better known to everyone here as Prince Harry. 
He is the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, and a member of the generation that is supposed to restore the reputation of Britain's scandal-plagued royal family. The news reports, confirmed in their essence by St. James's Palace -- Charles's home -- said that the prince got in trouble when his father was rarely home last summer and his closest companion, older brother Prince William, was traveling the world. Harry started hanging out with friends at a nearby pub, the Rattlebone Inn. The young prince and his pals did some serious drinking, the reports say, so much that Harry was thrown out one night after cursing at the pub's cook. The group also got in the habit of a late-night "spliff" -- the British word for "joint" -- in a shed behind the bar.Of all the Rattlebone boys, Harry, not surprisingly, had the biggest house. He lives on his father's palatial country estate, Highgrove, in the rolling green downland southwest of London. So the young prince started inviting the gang over to "Club H," the basement den he has turned into his own hideaway.And that's when Harry's wild summer went up in smoke. Some royal staffers noticed the sweet scent of marijuana in the air, and reported same to Prince Charles.The paternal response, the reports say, was calm but firm. Charles declared the Rattlebone off limits. He banned any further marijuana -- and to make the point stick, he sent the boy on a "terror trip" to a drug clinic in southeast London to meet hard-core addicts who had started down the road to addiction with marijuana. Since then, Harry who is now 17 and a junior at the prestigious prep school Eton -- has apparently held to the straight and narrow. The only trace of further embarrassment came at Christmas, when he was seen in the lingerie section of a London department store buying a $40 feathered thong, perhaps for a girlfriend.Which raises the question: Why did a high school boy's minor summer escapade merit any newspaper ink at all?It is legal in Britain for 16-year-olds to be served alcohol, as long as the drink accompanies a meal. Since pub owners are generally willing to extend the definition of a meal to a single bag of potato chips, high school students are seen drinking in pubs every night of the week. Like other European countries, Britain has stopped enforcing laws against smoking marijuana; many kids light their spliffs on the sidewalk right in front of police stations. But Harry is different, because he is a prince. That's the basic bargain that comes with being royal in a democratic age. Merely for being born right, you get the lavish palace, the long yachts, the loyal retainers. In return, your foibles entertain the populace."They have no constitutional power. They do represent the nation at ribbon-cuttings and the like, but we could elect somebody to do that for a tiny fraction of what we spend on our royals," says Jonathan Freedland, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper. "So why have them? Well, some people like the tradition of the thing. And the tabloids love them. They are our own national soap opera."The current royal family has provided endless fascination for Britons. The marital, extramarital and business exploits of the four children of the present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, have shocked and saddened the nation for more than two decades. The rocky marriage of Harry's parents, with much-publicized cheating on both sides, has prompted many to suggest that Charles should not be allowed to inherit the throne.But the two sons of Charles and Diana are generally seen here as a new beginning for the dynasty that the queen refers to as "the firm." Nineteen-year-old William, who is next in line to be king after Charles, is the spitting image of his mother and a heartthrob for teenage girls around the world. Harry, who has a reputation here as a quick wit and a star athlete, is third in line to the throne -- although he is unlikely to become king if his brother stays healthy.That's why the palace was eager today to get beyond the headlines tarnishing a shiny new generation. Buckingham Palace, the queen's official home, had no comment on today's stories. St. James's Palace responded to the media hullabaloo with a single curt sentence: "This is a serious matter which was resolved within the family and is now in the past and closed."Source: Washington Post (DC) Author: T.R. Reid, Washington Post Foreign ServicePublished: Monday, January 14, 2002; Page C01 Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Articles:Twin Hazards of Binge Drinking and Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11751.shtmlPrince's Drinking, Drug Use Give Press Field Day http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11747.shtmlPaper: Prince Harry Smoked Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11742.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on January 14, 2002 at 14:32:03 PT
Jiminy crickets
He just wants to smoke some pot and forget about who he is and the life he must lead for a life time.Leave him alone. Having fun is no crime."When I woke up this mornin', things were lookin' bad'Seemed like total silence was the only friend I had.Bowl of oatmeal stared me down and won.It was 12:00 before I realized I was havin' no funAh, but , fortunately, I had the key to escape reality.And, you may see me tonight with an illegal smile.It don't cost very much and it lasts a long while.Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone?No, I'm just tryin' to have me some fun."-  Illegal Smile by John Prine
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Comment #2 posted by Lehder on January 14, 2002 at 05:01:28 PT
 an early whiff of scandal
A vasovagal episode isn't the only possibility, Skibbie said. Somewhat less common is cough syncope, where a coughing episode - similar to what Bush reportedly had - can increase pressure in the chest enough to momentarily lower blood pressure. It, too, is benign. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20020114/ts/bush_health.htmlHe swore off booze and bazuko years ago, and maybe He should reconsider pretzels now. I'll let the National Enquirer take it from here.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on January 13, 2002 at 22:53:07 PT
If it's a non-story then why are the prisons full?
Britain's Sunday papers hauled out their largest headline type today to banner the following news item: A 16-year-old boy on school vacation experimented with alcohol and marijuana.Normally, that would be the quintessential dog-bites-man non-story,Tell that to all of the people currently serving or facing prison time for cultivation of marijuana, a fate that even Democratic liberals condemn them to on the strength of the idea that teen experimentation with marijuana is what creates hard core heroin addiction in adulthood.Most addicts are adults, and addiction is an aging disease. The age at first use statistic is the biggest existing excuse behind keeping marijuana illegal that there is.The dog bites man story involves seizing the homes of widows, this is the Great American Novel we're talking about, the most harmful and destructive non-story of the last 20 years.
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