Prince Harry has described wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party in 2005 as "probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life," according to his memoir Spare and the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan. The Duke of Sussex said he felt "so ashamed" after the incident and took steps to make amends, including meeting with a Holocaust survivor and the Chief Rabbi in London.
Details of the Controversial Costume
In January 2005, Prince Harry attended a birthday party for a friend of Prince William with the theme "Natives and colonials." He wore the desert uniform of General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, which included a swastika on the left arm. Prince William reportedly dressed in a leopard outfit with black leggings, while another friend Guy Pelly dressed as Queen Elizabeth. The costume sparked global backlash when The Sun newspaper published a front-page picture of Harry in the outfit.
Harry issued an apology at the time, stating: "I am very sorry if I have caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume, and I apologise." In his memoir, Harry noted that his brother William and sister-in-law Kate "howled with laughter" when they saw his outfit, suggesting they shared some responsibility for the decision.
Reflection and Learning
In the Netflix documentary, Harry elaborated on the incident: "All I wanted to do was make it right. 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. 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." The memoir Spare, released in 2023, offers extensive insight into Harry's life and his feelings about key moments, including this one.
