Harry 'out of control'

Close friends of Prince Harry fear he is " out of control". They say he is surrounded by a group of "hooray idiots" who are encouraging his increasingly reckless behaviour.

Their concern comes as Prince Charles today refused to make Harry apologise in public for wearing a Nazi swastika and German uniform at a fancy-dress party. The Prince of Wales says he will not force Harry to visit Auschwitz or to say sorry on TV. Charles feels his son is being pilloried for a silly prank.

But in an unprecedented intervention, one of Harry's closest friends says it was only the latest in a long line of illadvised stunts, most of which have remained out of the public eye. Today the friend says: "Those of us who know him best are worried that he is behaving like an idiot.

"The problem is he is surrounded by people who are in awe of him and do not question his behaviour. Some of them certainly encourage him to carry out more and more ridiculous stunts.

"He is always the first one to misbehave at a party, always the first to be falling down drunk. If there is a fountain at a party, you know he will be the first in it." Harry's name has become a byword for outrageous behaviour among his public school peers, and some friends believe he now feels compelled to "act up" to this role.

The friend added: "He is not a bright chap. You have to be seriously academically challenged to come away from Eton with one A-level. That lack of intelligence is manifesting itself in the decisions he is making now.

"He needs to distance himself from certain people around him and question why they are egging him on."

The Evening Standard source is one of Harry's longest-standing friends and a family friend of Prince Charles.

The source went on: "He is not a bad lad, but he is getting wilder and wilder. This was not malicious, but it was foolish. He needs to get a grip. He has to realise the reality of his position."

The outrage over 20-year-old Harry's stunt continues to reverberate around the world. But after meeting senior officials, Charles made it clear that he would refuse to bow to political pressure from senior politicians, including Tory leader Michael Howard, who are demanding that Harry make a personal apology.

Charles told senior advisers he will not allow his son to be "hung out to dry". One senior official told the Standard: "As far as the Prince is concerned Harry has apologised for his mistake. That is the end of the matter."

It has been decided that after Clarence House's contrite statement yesterday nothing more would be added and there will be no gesture such as a public trip by Harry to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Harry's gaffe was compounded by the timing, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz where more than one million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.

This is to be commemorated later this month in a ceremony attended by representatives from around the world.

Britain will be sending European minister Denis MacShane. The royal family will be represented by Prince Edward.

Harry, due to start his military training at Sandhurst in May, is said to be "deeply upset" over the reaction. A senior source said: "There is a feeling that although it was a genuine error and certainly ill-advised he now feels under siege.

"With the benefit of hindsight he knows he was wrong to wear the uniform and the swastika armband but some among his friends feel it has been taken out of all proportion. While the Prince of Wales is understandably disappointed with Harry and has made his feelings very clear, he is equally adamant that his son should not be hung out to dry." It is understood that the Queen has rallied behind her grandson despite the condemnation.

"The Queen will always back her family and is supporting Prince Charles on whatever course of action he decides is appropriate," said the source.

Since the death of Diana in 1997, Charles has doted on his younger son.

He has turned to the advice of former Guards officer Mark Dyer to help steer Harry into adulthood. A source said: "There is now a feeling in the Prince of Wales's camp that Harry needs a firmer hand to guide him and the sooner he joins the Army the better."

It is still possible that the royal family may decide to send Harry to Auschwitz on a private visit should the weight of worldwide criticism prove too much to ignore. In Israel, the country's top daily newspaper was flooded with readers' comments accusing the prince of being stupid and acting in bad taste.

In the US, the New York Post ran the picture of Harry with the headline Royal Nazi while the Washington Post declared: "Consensus on Prince Harry's Gaffe: He Knows Nothing."

It emerged that Harry hired his costume at a shop close to Highgrove, Maud's Cotswold Costumes, popular with the young royals and their set.

Among the other outfits which were said to have caught the prince's eye was the uniform of an SS officer.