Prince Harry Calls 2005 Nazi Costume One of His “Biggest Mistakes”

Prince Harry is getting candid about his past controversy.

In his new docuseries Harry & Meghan, which premiered Dec. 8, the royal addressed the 2005 scandal in which he wore a Nazi uniform to a costume party, calling it “one of the biggest mistakes of his life.”

“I felt so ashamed afterwards,” he explained. “All I wanted to do was make it right.”

Harry revealed that after the incident, he spoke with the chief rabbi in London—which he said “had a profound impact” on him—adding that he also went to Berlin to speak with a Holocaust survivor. 

“I could have just ignored it and gone on and probably made the same mistakes over and over again in my life,” he added. “But I learnt from that.”

The Duke of Sussex, then 20, wore a red armband with a swastika to a friend’s party on Jan. 8, 2005, causing headlines around the world to brand him “Harry the Nazi.” Harry issued an apology at the time, saying in a statement, “I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize.”