January 7, 2023
On Thursday the British tabloids reported that in his upcoming memoir, Prince Harry revealed that he and his brother, Prince William, are circumcised.
"'There were countless stories in books, and papers (even The New York Times) about Willy and me not being circumcised,' he wrote. 'Mummy had forbidden it, they all said, and while it’s absolutely true that the chance of getting penile frostbite is much greater if you’re not circumcised, all the stories were false. I was snipped as a baby.'" [1]
The reaction of most people in the United Kingdom and around the world was something along the lines of, "This is information that we didn't need to know." [2] However speculation about the circumcision status of the British royalty has been a frequent habit within the intactivist movement for several years. Intactivists had assumed that the brothers were uncircumcised. According to Peaceful Parenting:
"The beloved Princess Diana bucked royal tradition in 1982, and again in 1984, when she chose to keep her boys intact and not circumcise Prince William and Prince Harry. In addition, she stood up to both Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Charles, who intended to cut the boys, as was customary for royal lines. Despite the majority of men in the world remaining happily intact for a lifetime, including virtually all men in England, royal-born baby boys were set apart from others by being cut at birth." [3]
In 2013 Prince William's wife Catherine gave birth to their first child, George. The Royal family received thousands of messages wishing the boy good health and a long life. Intact America's Georganne Chapin expressed what to her was a far more important concern. "Naturally, the first thing I thought was, 'Thank goodness this boy has a good chance of keeping his foreskin! ... Keep your fingers crossed, and send all good thoughts and vibes to those new parents. Let’s hope that in this case, 'looking like Dad' will work out for all concerned." [4] Apparently Chapin was oblivious to the fact that a 61 year-old woman obsessing over the genitals of a newborn baby - to whom she has no connection - is disturbing and creepy. (The "looking like Dad" hope is ironic, given Uncle Harry's admission.)
Two years after the royal birth, global attention focused on a parental dispute about the circumcision of a 4 year-old Florida boy. During the course of the legal case, Chase Hironimus's genitals became a matter of public record when his mother violated a court order to keep his name private. Chapin and Intact America repeatedly posted the boy's name, photo, and details about his medical history - all in violation of his privacy. [5] It's likely that Chase is now in 7th or 8th grade; his classmates can find personal information about his penis and his medical history online.
Circumcision opponents, who complain incessantly that boys don't consent to circumcision, have no concern over the reality that neither Chase, George, nor any other young boy has consented to having personal information about his genitals exposed to the world for public discussion.
All is not lost for intactivists, however. They can take consolation in Harry's report of penile frostbite during his trip to the North Pole just before his brother's 2011 wedding. This revelation supports a foreskin function that is particularly beneficial for princes and other intrepid adventurers exploring the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
[1] Nicki Gostin; "Prince Harry reveals whether he’s circumcised in bombshell ‘Spare’ memoir"; Page Six; January 5, 2023
[2] One British man declared that he and many other boys from upper class families were circumcised at birth. KSM87 tweet; January 5, 2023. "So we now know that Princes William and Harry are definitely circumcised. I am not at all surprised. I'm from an upper class English background and I was also circumcised at birth (in 1987), as were many of other boys from a similar background."
[3] "Breaking the Cycle: Princess Diana says NO to Circumcision in the Royal Family"; Peaceful Parenting; May 2019
[4] Georganne Chapin; "Three Cheers for an Intact Future King!"; Intact America blog; July 24, 2013
[5] "Intact America Part 5: A wild goose chase backfires"; Circumcision Choice; October 11, 2018