LONDON, England (CNN) -- Prince Harry, the red-headed younger son of Britain's Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is back in the headlines after a British tabloid posted a home video of him using an offensive term to describe an Army colleague.



Prince Harry's behavior landed him on the front pages of British newspapers.



Some of those who have watched him closely through the years see a pattern which they blame on royal destiny rather than racism or ignorance.



The video, much of it apparently shot by the prince himself in 2006, led to predictable howls of condemnation, not least from the sensation-seeking newspaper that published it.



News of the World posted the video on its Web site under the headline "Prince Harry video nasty that will spark outrage."



Harry, who is third in line to the throne, immediately issued an apology through a spokesman for referring to a soldier from Pakistan as "our little Paki friend."  Watch video which has sparked controversy »



The word "Paki" is considered deeply offensive by many in Britain -- comparable to the "n-word" in the United States, said Harry biographer Mark Saunders. "That word is just unacceptable," Saunders said.



It was not the first time Harry had been forced to apologize for offending people. In 2005, the News of the World's sister paper The Sun obtained and published a photograph of him wearing a Nazi uniform at a party, prompting an apology and a promise that he had learned his lesson.



Penny Junor, who has written several books on Britain's royal family, says she suspects Harry may get himself into embarrassing situations more often than his older brother William at least partly because Harry does not expect to become king.



"Fundamentally it probably has a great deal to do with being number two," said Junor, the author of "The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor." "He's a spare, not an heir."



She said: "The older ones are very much groomed for the task at hand. Those in charge sometimes miss a trick with the younger members" of the family, she said.



Harry's father, Prince Charles, may want to avoid trying to rein his son in too much, Junor theorized.



"I'm sure that Charles thinks it's putting an impossible burden on him to really nail Harry down to the floor when his future is uncertain," she said.



"Their lives are very restricted in many ways. It's a burden being the Prince of Wales, number two in line, number three in line. There is a tendency to try and relieve the burden from the children by not jumping down their throats every time they do something stupid."



In this generation, Harry has been much more likely than William to be the one doing "something stupid," she admitted.



William was criticized last year for landing an Army helicopter in a field belonging to his girlfriend's parents, but the incident did not cause the same uproar as Harry's two gaffes.



Harry may have engaged in more outrageous behavior than his older brother simply because of his personality, Junor added.



"He's much more frivolous than William, more an impetuous party animal," she said, also describing him as "not the brightest brain in Britain."



"The older child, because he knows there is a seriousness to the position he was born to, knows from day one what is expected of him," she said. "The younger one has all of the frustrations of that without knowing (if) he will inherit the throne."



Saunders, the author of "Prince Harry: The Biography," has observed the same pattern.



"Even when (Harry) was a young boy he was a maverick," said Saunders. "Harry used to play with the photographers, whereas you would never get that with William."



"William formed a bond with his father," based in part on the throne the
Who did the offensive remark target? What is to blame? What is the name of the Prince? What do watchers see?
an Army colleague. royal destiny "Prince Harry a pattern which they blame on royal destiny rather than racism or ignorance.
question: Who did the offensive remark target?, answer: an Army colleague. | question: What is to blame?, answer: royal destiny | question: What is the name of the Prince?, answer: "Prince Harry | question: What do watchers see?, answer: a pattern which they blame on royal destiny rather than racism or ignorance.