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Prince Harry reports BlackBerry mugging

The prince was on the phone to a friend when he overheard the scuffle, then rushed to the scene and reported the crime.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Picture the scene: you're on the phone to a friend when you hear a scuffle and realise someone's trying to rob them. Well this happened to Prince Harry at the end of last month, when his pal Thomas van Straubenzee had his BlackBerry stolen, the Daily Mail reports.

At least it proves someone still wants a BlackBerry.

Harry was speaking to van Straubenzee when he heard what was happening and rushed to the scene in Battersea. Fearing van Straubenzee had been hurt, Harry drove around with his protection officer looking for him. Unable to find him, he went to the local police station where he found his friend reporting the crime. Harry was then required to give a police statement, seeing as he heard the mugging as it happened.

A police spokesperson told the Mail, "A mobile phone was taken during the robbery," but wouldn't specify which model of BlackBerry it was. A man was arrested in connection with the robbery, and the phone was recovered.

In the States, however, it seems muggers are a little bit pickier. Earlier in the week NBC New York reported that a pair of robbers targeting students in Manhattan weren't interested if their victims had BlackBerrys or Android phones, only iPhones. If they didn't have an Apple handset, the robbers demanded cash instead.

"I think it speaks to the resale value of an iPhone," one student on the Columbia campus told NBC. "It's insulting they don't want my BlackBerry," said another.

Another added: "I don't like mine. I'm waiting to get an iPhone myself."

Do you think an iPhone makes you more of a target? Would you feel safer with a less pricey phone? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.