Where were your boys, Ma'am?

WHERE were the Royals on Armed Forces Day?

As the nation united to celebrate our brave servicemen and women past, present and future yesterday they were nowhere to be seen.

Only the Queen - now 83 years old - was on duty, giving out medals to soldiers in Scotland. The rest, including the cosseted "boys" William and Harry, were putting their feet up.

The Queen in Scotland

In fact Harry, yet again, couldn't resist a night on the tiles.

He was out clubbing until 4am in London - just hours before other dignitaries turned out at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent - the focus of the celebrations.

Harry rightly won plaudits for serving on the Afghanistan front-line. But surely he must have known being pictured in the early hours coming out of a club would send the wrong message?

Would it have really been too tough to take one night off, don the uniform with the campaign medal he earned and turn out with his brothers in arms and their families?

Yes, he issued a statement with brother Prince William about being "delighted" to support Armed Forces Day.

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But what did they DO on the day?

William was missing too - but at least he had the good sense not to go out on the lash the night before.

Prince Charles, whose aides were waxing lyrical about his close relationship with the Armed Forces being a key part of his job, issued a statement too - a "mission statement" brochure published this week.

In it he boasted about his relationship with the Armed Forces. The brochure states four themes:

HIGHLIGHTING the courage, commitment and sacrifice of serving personnel and veterans.

RECOGNISING their professionalism and the quality of their training.

PROMOTING the role of the Forces within national life through operational visits and ceremonial duties.

SUPPORTING the families of those deployed on operations. But actions speak louder than words.

We cannot just rely on an octogenarian sovereign to do her duty.

It was an ideal chance for Harry and older brother Prince William to step up to the plate. Frankly, the royal snub is simply not good enough. Yet again they and their royal aides missed a trick.

But William - who also had a "private weekend" - and Harry were not the only royals missing.

Charles was at Highgrove putting his feet up. Prince Andrew, a hero and veteran of the Falklands, was having a break in New York. The Princess Royal, normally praised for being a hard worker, was not carrying out official duties either.

The only other royal working yesterday was Prince Edward, who famously flounced out of Royal Marine training. He was on a golf course in the Algarve on an official engagement for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.

Instead the Duke of Gloucester - the Queen's cousin and 19th in line to the throne - was wheeled out for the main event in Chatham.

Army brass band marches in Manchester

Buckingham Palace may argue that he is a "senior royal" - but most people wouldn't recognise him if they bumped into him in the street.

The royals' absence did not sit well with the thousands of people who turned out to honour the military community. The father of Britain's youngest soldier to be wounded in Iraq, Jamie Cooper, attacked the Royal Family.

Dad Phil, of Kingswood, Bristol, said: "Harry's in the Forces himself, perhaps he should have attended one of the parades because it's in recognition of his own comrades. That's what it's all about, it's not just about veterans."

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Reg Keys, whose 20-year-old son Tom was one of six Red Caps killed by an Iraqi mob in a police station in Iraq in 2003, agreed Harry should have been there.

He told us: "Harry should have attended. Every member of the armed forces plays a fundamental part in making the military what it is. Today there is a real appreciation of what they do."

More than 200 community events took place in villages and towns across the country. There were major celebrations in Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Plymouth.

Chatham: WWII planes fly past

In Chatham, serving personnel and young recruits from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF lined up to greet dignitaries as they arrived at the Dock's Thunderbolt Pier. The Royal Marines Band led 200 current service personnel and 350 veterans.

PM Gordon Brown paid tribute. He said: "Today Chatham has spoken for the whole country. The people that have come here today have shown the high esteem and regard in which they hold the Armed Forces of our country.

"The Armed Forces who do so much, the families who make such sacrifices. I don't think we say thank you enough, today is our chance."

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Armed Forces Day means something to the gallant men and women who risk their lives daily to protect us and our way of life. It means something to those whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Yet again the Royals have missed the point. They have missed a chance to connect with the nation.

If they stand for anything it is as a symbol of national unity.

But symbols have to be seen.

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