IN the last week 34 striking miners were shot dead at a platinum mine in South Africa; an 11 year old girl with Downs Syndrome in Pakistan was arrested for blasphemy as a result of burning pages from the Koran; a US Republican candidate for the senate announced that women who were victims of ‘legitimate rape’ (whatever that is) rarely got pregnant, therefore abortion could and should be safely be made illegal; soup kitchens became commonplace in Greece; Winnie Johnson died, after a lifetime of agonised hope, without ever having the small solace of knowing where her son Keith was buried by the vile Ian Brady.

But none of these different but compelling events merited the popular media’s attention in the forensic detail accorded to the ‘news’ that a young man, who happens to be a prince, has taken his clothes off while behaving as young people sometimes do in the company of friends, at least one of whom turned out not to be much of a friend and shared an indistinct photo of the royal fundament with the insatiable millions who cannot resist this kind of offal when it is thrown in their general direction by the redtop papers (I cannot bring myself to call them ‘news’ papers).

Yes, it is only human to look. As we drive past an accident on the motorway, it would take a will of iron to the point of perversity not to slow down and glance at the evidence of someone else’s recent misfortune. To accuse drivers of rubbernecking is not always accurate, unless they have altered their route in order to view the carnage which I suspect and hope is rare.

But to go out to buy a newspaper in order to see a young man’s bottom is different.

First of all, it is no different than anybody else’s for heaven’s sake.

The lad has the sympathy of the majority of right-minded citizens. Were his actions ill advised? Yes, like similar actions of thousands of young people every week.

Unlucky? Certainly; no wonder royals restrict their circle of friends so obsessively to those who would have just as much to lose from this kind of unwelcome publicity.

We all have moments in our lives when we were mightily glad that there were no cameras or witnesses present, things that are ever present for Harry, the poor chap. Let’s hope he picks better companions next time.