I AM very surprised at the reaction of those people who explain away Prince Harry's recent Nazi costume gaffe as a harmless prank.

At least 355,000 British servicemen died fighting Hitler's Nazis, many of them younger than Prince Harry is now.

A man of 20, especially one who has had an expensive private education, has no excuses for this ignorance.

Later this year Prince Harry is expected to join Sandhurst to train to be an Army officer.

Should any misfortune happen to his elder brother he would almost certainly become king. Yet he seems to have no grasp of his responsibilities.

This is proof that the hereditary system cannot be relied upon to provide a satisfactory head of state who can represent modern Britain.

ANDY NEWMAN

Avenue Road