For Britain's Young Princes, a Role Reversal

It seems like only yesterday that William was Britain's standup prince, brother Harry the misled stoner in an SS uniform. But after revelations that William landed his RAF helicopter on his girlfriend’s lawn, and that the younger Harry served actual combat in Afghanistan, the tables have turned, the AP reports. One commentator called William’s antics “the whole spoiled brat syndrome.”

The reversal comes after years in which everything—including the princes’ appearances, demeanors, and even lady-friends—seemed to paint William as the more regal. One former military man tried to excuse William’s stunt as “something helicopter pilots have done forever,” but made a more convincing case that the princes’ service, whether at home or abroad, is “good for morale.” (More Prince William stories.)