The last set of episodes for Netflix’s royal epic The Crown have now dropped, and Prince Harry may not be thrilled with what’s in store.
The final half of the sixth (and last ever) season follow the new generation of royals, including Prince William’s blossoming romance with Kate Middleton at university.
However, it also features a moment that Prince Harry would probably rather forget – when he got papped dressed up as a Nazi for a friend’s fancy dress party.
Harry opted for the controversial costume after Olympic showjumper Richard Meade decided to throw a somewhat grim ‘natives and colonial’ themed party for his son Harry’s 22nd birthday.
In The Crown, we see the tense reaction after Harry donned the costume, which hit the front page and caused major blushes for the royals, leading to a huge fallout between the young Prince, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II.
But what really happened when Harry donned the costume? And what has the Duke of Sussex said about it since. Cosmopolitan UK has the answers…
When did Prince Harry dress up as a Nazi?
Prince Harry made the sartorial slip-up in 2005, when he was just 20 years old. Older brother Prince William, and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton, also attended the party, though their costumes were significantly less controversial.
Chris Jackson//Getty Images
In Spare, Prince Harry’s memoir published earlier this year, he revealed he thought William would be the person courting press attention at the party. The now-Prince of Wales wore a homemade leopard costume – which saw William in a leotard.
Harry described what he thought his older brother was wearing as the “crown jewels” of photographs.
What was Prince Harry’s response at the time?
After the picture hit the front page of the tabloids, the backlash was swift. Some believed the costume was symptomatic of Prince Charles being unable to control his younger son. Others called for Harry to lose his place at military college Sandhurst.
In response, Clarence House issued a statement on behalf of Harry.
“I am very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone,” he said. “It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise.”
Stephen Chernin//Getty Images
In Spare, Harry also revealed how he spent time with Lord Sachs, previously the Chief Rabbi, who made him feel a “bottomless self-loathing”. He added the Rabbi went on to encourage the Prince to use this experience to try and make the world a better place.
While The Crown centres of the family’s fury with Harry, the Prince himself revealed the fallout from the rest of the royals wasn’t too bad. William, he said “was sympathetic, but there wasn’t much to say” while Prince Charles questioned how he could have been so foolish but was otherwise surprisingly “serene.”
How has Prince Harry responded to the controversy?
In recent years, Harry has spoken more openly about his shame of dressing up as a Nazi.
Speaking in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan documentary, he explained it was probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
“I felt so ashamed afterwards,” he said. “All I wanted to do was make it right.”
However, in Spare, Harry claims William and Kate egged on his costume choice.
In his memoir, Harry says he was at Maud’s Cotswold Costumes and had to choose between a pilot costume and a Nazi costume.
“I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said,” Harry recalled.
Chris Jackson//Getty Images
He added they both “howled with laughter” at seeing him dressed up.
Harry’s recollection is markedly different to what is shown in The Crown. The drama sees Kate suggesting Harry covered the swastika.
Prince William is portrayed as being less offended, adding: “Oh, come on. Wearing the outfit doesn’t make him a Nazi. Isn’t that the joke?”
However, Harry is still apologetic for the incident and the subsequent fallout.
“What followed was a firestorm, which I thought at times would engulf me,” he wrote in Spare. “And I felt that I deserved to be engulfed. There were moments over the course of the next several weeks and months when I thought I might die of shame.”
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Kimberley Bond is a Features Writer at Cosmopolitan. After gaining her MA in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield in 2016, Kimberley first started her career as a showbiz and culture writer, where she interviewed A-Listers (and Z-Listers) on red carpets, at awards ceremonies and at parties. After the pandemic put a hold on the showbiz circuit, Kimberley turned to features and has written for a number of publications including The Independent, The Telegraph, Evening Standard, Stylist and Glamour amongst countless others. She’s still a complete celebrity gossip hound, and when she’s not scrolling through the sidebar of shame you can find her on X, LinkedIn or in the gym where’s trying and failing to get an arse like JLo.
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