A royal lesson in handling awkward situations

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How would you handle a very public faux pas? In a day of gadgets that can record your every gaffe, blunder, and lack of judgment, it’s safe to say that many have been in jeopardy of some. er, compromising photos and statements taken out of context. This can be true whether you’re guilty or not.

Even before our most horrifying moments could be captured and aired to millions in a few seconds, we need only to look to our most primitive of brains to find out how we would react defending ourselves in awkward situations. We would fight it, escape from it, or ignore it and hope it goes away [freeze]; possibly all of the above.

In a freeze mode, the Royal Palace has apparently attempted to block the photos. You know, as if the incident never happened. While sites like TMZ are having a heyday with it.

The Palace is used to scrambling to cover [they’ve employed all three, fight flight and freeze], for Prince Harry’s escapades. What under ordinary circumstances might be seen as just a young lad sowing his wild oats, are completely different under royal circumstances.

There was the time when he admitted experimenting with marijuana. There was another time when he showed up at a party in a Nazi uniform, and more recently, when nude photos appeared to the public, showing Harry playing pool.

Daily Telegraph columnist Harry Mount said. "I don't imagine the pictures will do his public image much harm," he wrote. "His bad boy naughtiness is his charm. He's the naughty playboy Prince Hal, while his quiet brother does all the boring, ruling stuff."

According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry "wagged his finger" and laughed at a little boy who wanted to ask him about his naked night in his VIP penthouse suite, but lost the nerve.

"You keep looking at your mum," Harry said to the little one. "It looks like you're dying to say something but you're worried she'll tell you off."

So what’s the best way to handle an awkward situation? While Prince Harry seems to be risking not taking it too seriously, I think he is going about it the right way. By not taking himself too seriously, and making light of it.

• Own up to your foible. Don't cover it up, people aren't stupid.

• Apologize. Make amends, if necessary.

• Don’t take yourself, or the situation too seriously.

A sure fire way to bury it in the sand is to do something even more outrageously offensive that will make them forget all about your present faux pas.

c. 2012