Prince Harry of Wales, photo from Wikipedia.

[Opinion]

Feeling The Love In San Diego

Prince Harry’s Military Helicopter Training in SD might have other motives, so says one British citizen.

by Tash Jones

It seems our very own Prince of the British Monarchy has headed out to California. Prince Harry is spending the next two months with his army unit in the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, training on the Apache attack helicopter. After only a few days, he allegedly hit San Diego, by attending various bars and events to take in the sights and scenery of California. He’s been described as being civilized though, so don’t feel like this gives him a bad name.

Despite these reports it is strange to note that news in the UK about Harry involves a shopping trip to San Diego where the young Prince purchased a pair of shoes. Weird eh? Except the shoes he purchased were a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes. For those of you who are out-of-the-loop of fashion, such as myself, they are shoes which are meant to mimic running barefoot without damaging the persons toes. He is not a trend-setting in Hollywood unfortunately, as it has already been grasped by the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Hudson. It is common knowledge that Harry is not a fan of shoes and prefers being at one with nature and indeed barefoot.

I decided that I would do some research on whether these were a good purchase for our Prince. It seems that it 2009, a book was written called ‘Born to Run’, by Christopher McDougall. The main thesis that the book taunts is: if you can more intensely feel the impact when your feet hit the ground your body will naturally make the adjustments to lessen said impact. I’ve been informed that there is virtually no shock absorption, which means a gradual build-up must occur. If you are to purchase these shoes, your toes are liable to ache at first, you should also cut the regular mileage you run at first, to avoid major aches and pains at first. However, the general consensus is that after your feet are used to it, you can then run in a freer sense and the flat surface will not hurt your more mobile feet. It seems that Harry has made a reasonable purchase.

Anyway back to the location on hand, why is it that San Diego seems to be the place to escape to?

Many say that San Diego is an easy getaway for people living in LA, it apparently is quicker and easier than Vegas but holds some similarities. Christine Donovan, the director of Heritage Programs at the Hotel del Coronado said that “San Diego is a vacation-feeling place in a way that L.A. isn’t. In Los Angeles, it seems like business is going on all the time, and I don’t think San Diego gives that impression.”

It’s this feeling of security, mixed with the peace but enough of a party atmosphere that would have attracted the Prince. The British Monarchy is hugely popular in America, for reasons unbeknown to me. The Brits raved about the wedding but we were beaten by sheer passion for it by the Americans. This is probably one of the reason why Harry is openly going out in places like San Diego – the love.

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