Prince Philip’s car crash illustrates how the rest of us pay for the recklessness of the privileged Granted Prince Philip is old, very old, and therefore, must, at times, be grumpy, stubborn, careless and maladroit. His Land […]

Granted Prince Philip is old, very old, and therefore, must, at times, be grumpy, stubborn, careless and maladroit. His Land Rover collided with a car last Thursday. At first journalists claimed the sun had dazzled the Prince, that he was terribly concerned about the female driver, passenger and little baby in the back, even that no one was injured.

It was all spin. We now know that Emma Fairweather, a mother of two, broke her wrist, and that she and the driver were traumatised. Fairweather claims there’s been no apology from the Prince.

The very next day, he was off, in a new Land Rover, driving without a seat belt. Police have now given him an official warning. By this time, the story had got diluted into generalities about folk in their 90s and whether they should be allowed to drive.

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But the Prince is not like other aged pensioners. He is married to the Queen, is inestimably wealthy, is genuflected to by loyal subjects, and has been wilful all his life. This is a tale of privilege not the privations of old age.

‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets’

The Windsors have a superiority complex and royal expectations. Andrew, a multi millionaire commanded and secured a fat sum from the public purse to pay for security because his daughter wanted to ride in an open carriage on her wedding day; Prince Charles and his missus fly around in private jets and have several fancy abodes; the younger princes and their wives are hideously spoilt. Last November, Prince Harry allegedly told his staff: “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets”.

It didn’t take the lass long to accommodate herself to a life of untold luxury and unquestioned respect on demand. Vast state benefits bequeathed to the monarch, various princes and princesses, gives them an outrageous sense of entitlement. That is the problem.

The Prince is not like other aged pensioners – he is married to the Queen

And it is a problem that you find in circles outside the aristocracy. Too many men and women think they are so special that normal rules don’t apply to them. I would include many CEOs in the top FTSE companies who now earn, on average, over £3.45m a year.

The latest example of the pathologically unaware leader is Francois Ortalo-Magne, dean of the London School of Business. He apparently earns half a million pounds a year but still claims money for crisps, chocolates and bacterial gel. He must think he is worth it, but all we see is a mean prat who overvalues himself.

Over-important

One hopes he will get a reality check soon. And that he and other egocentrics will understand that such self-importance is deeply unattractive and, in the end, unsustainable.

Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of London, articulates what happens when individuals feed on their own exceptionalism and narcissism and will not be denied: “People who are given whatever they want soon develop a sense of entitlement and rapidly lose their sense of proportion”.

A new series on More4 takes us back to the Monica Lewinsky saga, using compelling footage and new interviews with those who were there. Bill Clinton was a charismatic, talented, appealing, unifying leader. However he couldn’t or wouldn’t tame his sexual promiscuity and swagger. He thought he could do what he wanted, because he was powerful and popular. Lewinsky was a young, ardent intern in the White House. He pulled her into his sexual orbit. She was one of many.

Vast state benefits bequeathed to various princes and princesses gives them an outrageous sense of entitlement

John F. Kennedy was also a predator in his time. Both these Democrat leaders felt they were entitled to female flesh. Kennedy was never held to account for his lusty encounters- the state protected his secrets. Clinton, in contrast, was pursued by Republicans – for their own unholy reasons.

To this day neither Bill nor Hillary seem to understand or accept that even if his political enemies used this affair for political gain, Bill Clinton abused his position and almost destroyed a young woman. Because he was President of the US and felt unanswerable to anyone.

Tony Blair, David Cameron and Nick Clegg were also reckless and cocky – not sexually but politically. Each one of them was privately educated, full of self-belief and arrogance. So was Nigel Farage. The policies, campaigns and policies pushed through by these four gents has led to one catastrophe after another. Like Prince Philip, they were born to rule, they felt entitled.

They never will be held responsible for their actions. I don’t think Prince Philip will be either. Class privilege is their free pass. It’s the rest of us who suffer and pay for their reckless hubris.

@y_alibhai