Prince Harry has addressed one of his more controversial past discretions – the time in 2005 when the then-20-year-old attended a fancy dress party in a Nazi uniform, including a swastika armband.
The duke has been heavily criticised for the decision, with the Board of Deputies of British Jews saying it was in “bad taste”.
Harry previously apologised for the offence caused. Now, he has further spoken about the incident in his new Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan.
Prince Harry has spoken about the controversial time he wore a Nazi costume to a fancy dress party.
(Image: Getty)“It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” the 38-year-old said of the costume.
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“I felt so ashamed afterwards, 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 Holocuast survivor.”
He concluded: “I could have just ignored it and made the same mistakes over again, but I learnt from that.”
“It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” Harry said in the documentary.
(Image: Netflix)The duke also spoke about the “unconscious bias” that comes with growing up in a royal institution, explaining that dating Meghan has helped to educate him about race.
“In this family, sometimes you’re part of the problem rather than part of the solution,” Harry said.
“There is a huge level of unconscious bias – It’s actually no one’s fault,” the duke said, before hinting that the royal family had a lot more learning to do, adding: “Once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right.”
He concluded: “It’s education, it’s awareness. And it’s a constant work in progress for everybody, including me.”
WATCH: Prince William responds to Harry and Meghan’s racism allegations. Article continues after video
The prince’s comments come after both he and Meghan told Oprah Winfrey in their famous 2021 interview that there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark (their son Archie’s) skin might be when he was born” from within the palace.
As they refused to name the alleged culprit, a guessing game of ‘who is the royal racist?’ quickly began amongst observers.
The uproar incited the palace to release a statement denying the allegations, which attested that “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning” while also claiming that “some recollections may vary”.
In 2021, Harry and Meghan told Oprah that there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark (their son Archie’s) skin might be”.
(Image: Getty)Prince William also said, when prompted by a paparazzo, that the monarchy is “very much not a racist family”.
More recently, a key palace aide was forced to step down after making “unacceptable and deeply regrettable” comments about race and nationality to Ngozi Fulani at a grand reception at Buckingham Palace.
Fulani revealed on Twitter that she had been repeatedly asked “What part of Africa are you from?” by the aide, while also having her hair touched.
“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details. In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement.
