Prince Harry once confessed that wearing a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party was one of the “biggest mistakes” of his life, an incident that left him feeling “so ashamed.”
This controversial episode occurred exactly 20 years ago, in 2005, when Harry, then 20 years old, attended a costume party dressed in a Nazi soldier’s uniform, complete with a swastika. A photo captured him holding a drink and a cigarette while wearing the outfit, sparking widespread outrage.
Following the backlash, Clarence House, representing his father, King Charles, released a statement apologizing for any offence or embarrassment caused by Harry’s actions. Harry personally expressed remorse in the aftermath, saying, “I am very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise.” Reflecting on his actions, he later added, “Maybe it was a sign of my own immaturity. Something like that I will never do again. It was a stupid thing to do.”
Years later, in his revealing Netflix series with Meghan Markle, Harry revisited the scandal, admitting, “It was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I felt so ashamed afterwards. All I wanted to do was make it right.” Determined to learn from the experience, he met with the Chief Rabbi in London and a Holocaust survivor in Berlin. “I could have just ignored it and gone on and made the same mistakes over and over again in my life. But I learned from that,” he said.
During the same series, Harry discussed “unconscious bias” within his family, emphasizing the importance of awareness and education. “Once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right,” he noted. “It’s education, it’s awareness, and it’s a constant work in progress for everyone ― including me.”
At the time of the incident, the Board of Deputies of British Jews acknowledged Harry’s apology but stressed the significance of understanding the Holocaust’s horrors and the swastika’s symbolism. They stated, “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.”
