Prince Harry Says Wearing Nazi Costume at Age 20 Was 'One of the Biggest Mistakes of My Life'

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince Harry.Photo: Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty

Prince Harryis expressing deep remorse over wearing a Nazi uniform to a 2005 costume party.

The Duke of Sussex opens up about the incident in the newHarry & Meghandocuseries, which premiered Thursday morning onNetflixand sees Harry and wifeMeghan Markletell their story in their own words.

Calling the decision “one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” Harry, who was 20 at the time, went on to say he “felt so ashamed afterwards.”

“All I wanted to do was make it right,” he added.

And while he “could’ve just ignored it and probably made the same mistakes over and over again,” Harry, now 38, “learnt from” the experience.

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Prince Harry Wears a Nazi Costume in 2005.Stephen Chernin/Getty

“I sat down and spoke to the chief rabbi in London, which had a profound impact on me,” he recalled on the series. “I went to Berlin and spoke to a Holocaust survivor.”

The royal also addressed the idea of “unconscious bias” in his family, noting that while “it’s actually no one’s fault,” that doesn’t absolve one of responsibility.

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“Once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself you then need to make it right,” he said. “It’s education, it’s awareness and it’s a constant work in progress for everyone ― including me.”

Harry wasphotographed wearing a Nazi soldier’s uniformwith a red-and-black swastika armband and an army shirt while clutching a drink at a friend’s costume party on Jan. 8, 2005.

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The incident occurred just two weeks before the 60th anniversary of theliberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

After the incident, Harry apologized in a statement, saying, “I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize.”

TheBoard of Deputies of British Jewssaid at the time thatit was “pleased that [Harry has] apologizedfor … his ill-judged actions.”

The first three episodes ofHarry & Meghanare now streaming on Netflix.

source: people.com