Featured Image Credit: ALASTAIR GRANT-/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/Dean Treml/Getty Images
Topics: Prince Harry, Royal Family, Kate Middleton, Prince William, UK News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Prince Harry, Royal Family, Kate Middleton, Prince William, UK News
It's clear that the British royal family are no stranger when it comes to scandal, controversy and headline-making news.
From Prince Andrew’s ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the whole 'Tampongate' debacle between King Charles and Queen Camilla back in the early 90s to the late Princess Diana's iconic 'there were three of us in this marriage' statement - it's clear the Royal Family have been involved in a fair few eyebrow raising moments in the past few decades and beyond.
The likes of Prince Harry, who stepped down as a working senior royal alongside his wife Meghan Markle back in 2020, has been involved in a series of scandals - with one of the biggest being the Nazi costume he wore to a party in his 20s.
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Writing in his 2023 memoir, Spare, the father-of-two reflected on the infamous moment in 2005 when, as a 20-year-old, he attended a 'Native and Colonial'–themed costume party that erupted into global controversy because he wore a Nazi uniform with a swastika armband.
The Duke of Sussex deliberated between dressing as a British pilot or a Nazi soldier.
Feeling unsure, he claims he rang up his big bro William and Kate for some advice.
According to his account, they told him to go with the Nazi costume, and when he tried it on, they 'howled with laughter'.
"I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said," Harry wrote, saying he brought the costume home and tried it on. "They both howled. Worse than Willy's leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point."
Representatives for Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment following Spare's publication when approached by the press over the alleged conversation.
Harry opened up about the regrettable moment during the highly anticipated Harry & Meghan docu-series on Netflix, saying he 'felt so ashamed afterwards'.
"All I wanted to do was make it right," he explained, adding that he 'could have just ignored it and probably made the same mistakes over and over again,' but has instead 'learned from' the decision.
He said following the event: "I sat down and spoke to the chief rabbi in London, which had a profound impact on me.
“I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor."
In the series, Harry acknowledged the 'unconscious bias' in the Royal Family, adding that 'it is actually no one’s fault', but that others should still be responsible for trying to correct their beliefs.
"Once it's been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right," Harry declared. "It's education, it's awareness and it's a constant work in progress for everyone - including me."
Following the backlash, Harry released a statement of apology: "I am very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise."
At the time, the Board of Deputies of British Jews stated that it was 'pleased that [Harry] apologised for… his ill-judged actions.
"We would now want to concentrate on ensuring that everyone understands the evils and enormity of the Holocaust, and the resonance of the swastika, not only to the Jewish community but to all in the United Kingdom affected by the Second World War against the Nazis," the board added.
If you are the victim of an antisemitic incident or you have information regarding an antisemitic incident that happened to somebody else, contact the CST National Emergency Number on 0800 032 3263. In an emergency, always call 999.