In August 2012, a chance encounter between two of the world's most famous bachelors in Las Vegas set the stage for a royal scandal that would reverberate around the globe. Prince Harry and Olympic swimming champion Ryan Lochte crossed paths for a night of revelry that preceded one of the Duke of Sussex's most infamous controversies.
A Fateful Meeting in Sin City
Fresh from winning two gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics, American swimmer Ryan Lochte headed to Las Vegas for a belated 28th birthday celebration. Coincidentally, Prince Harry was also in town, taking some downtime after serving as a royal ambassador during the Games. The then 27-year-old prince had been praised for his mature conduct, but that perception was soon to change.
After a day of drinking, Harry and his friends arrived at the luxury Wynn hotel around 2am. It was there he spotted Lochte in the crowd. "Prince Harry is here. You want to meet him?" a man asked the swimmer. Lochte, thrilled, agreed immediately. "It was a huge honour to meet him. He's a great guy," Lochte later told the Daily Mail.
The Impromptu Pool Race
After mingling briefly, Prince Harry issued an unexpected challenge. As Lochte prepared to return to his friends, the royal stopped him, asking, "Wait, you want to get in the pool and race me? Right now?" When Lochte moved to fetch his swimming gear, Harry insisted they proceed immediately, leading both men to dive into the water fully clothed.
The party crowd cleared a makeshift 10-metre lane in the pool, while a woman in a bikini acted as finish judge. "Watching him swim, he does have good form," Lochte admitted. "I was surprised. But of course, I won. He was a great competitor but in the end it was Team USA all the way!" The pair stayed in the pool a while longer before parting ways around 4.30am, with Lochte returning to his friends. It was the first and last time they socialised.
The Aftermath and Lasting Scandal
While Lochte had his friends' phones confiscated upon returning to his hotel, Prince Harry did not take the same precaution. This oversight proved catastrophic. The following day, photos emerged of Harry playing strip billiards naked in his VIP suite, with a scantily-clad woman nearby. The images were sold to the press and splashed across front pages worldwide.
In his autobiography, Spare, Harry recounted the shock of seeing the pictures. "I was naked before the eyes of the world," he wrote. "I berated myself. How had I been so stupid?... Those photos would never go away." The scandal caused significant embarrassment for the Royal Family. A contrite Prince Harry soon returned to his army duties in Afghanistan for a 20-week deployment.
Reflecting on the controversy, Lochte expressed sympathy for his brief acquaintance. "He was there to have fun, and it's just sad that someone would go out of their way to try to sabotage him to make a quick buck," the swimmer said. "He's a good guy. I got to know him, talk to him, and hang out with him and he's a really nice guy." The Las Vegas night of August 2012 remains a defining, and regrettable, chapter in Prince Harry's public life.
