Prince Harry Claims Prince William, Princess Kate Told Him to Wear Scandalous Nazi Uniform to Costume Party
Prince Harry reveals in his new upcoming memoir that his brother Prince William and his sister-in-law Kate told him to put on the Nazi uniform that he was afterwards criticized for wearing to a costume party in 2005.
When he was 20 years old, the Duke of Sussex dressed up as a Nazi soldier, complete with a red armband that featured a swastika, for a costume party that had a “Native and Colonial” theme. Prince William also attended the event and was dressed in a homemade lion outfit, but it was Harry’s outfit that sparked public outrage. A photo of him in costume was even emblazoned on the cover of the British tabloid magazine The Sun with the headline “Harry The Nazi.”
At the time, Clarence House said in a released statement that Prince Harry apologized for causing any offense or embarrassment, according to The Jewish Chronicle.
In an excerpt obtained by Page Six from his upcoming memoir Spare, which hits shelves Jan. 10, Prince Harry wrote about deciding between two costumes — a pilot or a Nazi — for the 2005 party. He said his brother and sister-in-law helped him make the final decision.
“I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said,” Harry wrote, adding that when he tried it on for them, “They both howled. Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point.”
In the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duke of Sussex said about wearing the Nazi uniform, “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. I could’ve just ignored it and probably made the same mistakes over and over again in my life. But I learned from that.”
A senior publishing source who read Spare told Page Six, “It’s strange as you would think that Harry would take ownership of this and just move on and not drag his brother into it, but he makes it clear that he feels strongly about William’s role in the scandal.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey wrote in his 2020 book Battle of Brothers that the scandal ruined Prince Harry’s relationship with his brother. One former aide told Lacey,”For the first time, their relationship really suffered and they barely spoke. Harry resented the fact that William got away so lightly.” Also the fact that Harry was the only member of his family to face public outrage regarding the costume made him feel “resentful and even alienated” from them, Lacey wrote.