Prince Harry ‘Resented’ Prince William for His Role in Nazi Costume Incident, Book Says
There’s no shortage of royal family scandals. One of them involved a young Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, wearing a Nazi uniform to a “Colonials and Natives” party.
After a picture of Harry wearing the controversial outfit surfaced, a controversy ensued. According to a 2020 book, the now-36-year-old harbored resentment toward his older brother, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge for not shouldering some of the blame.
Prince Harry and Prince William picked out costumes together
Historian Robert Lacey examines the rift between Harry and William in his new book, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult.
According to Newsweek, Lacey claims the cracks in their relationship began long before Harry’s relationship with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex began. He traces the rift back to the “Colonials and Natives” party and the Nazi costume.
In the book, Lacey recounts how Harry and William, then 20 and 22-years-old respectively, went to Maud’s Cotswold Costumes in January 2005. The Duke of Cambridge selected “tight black leggings and furry paws” while the Duke of Sussex picked a uniform because, as he later said, the color suited him.
William “laughed all the way back to Highgrove with the younger sibling he was supposed to be mentoring—and then onwards to the party together,” Lacey wrote.
While at the “Colonials and Natives” party, a guest snapped a photo of Harry wearing the Nazi uniform. Shortly after, it ended up on the front page of a British tabloid.
Prince Harry apologized for his costume choice
After the photo of Harry in the Nazi surfaced, public outrage ensued. The scandal led to the royal family doing damage control amidst mounting criticism. Harry issued an apology, admitting wrongdoing. “It was a poor choice of costume,” he said.
The Nazi costume is one of Harry’s most controversial incidents. It’s grouped together with his 2012 naked partying in Las Vegas that resulted in photos going public.
Prince Harry felt Prince William should’ve shouldered some of the blame too
As Lacey explained in his book, William was there when Harry picked out his costume. He also attended the party with Harry. But William didn’t share in the blame with Harry which bothered the Duke of Sussex, a former aide to Lacey.
“Harry resented the fact that William got away so lightly,” the former aide’s quoted as saying in the book.
Whether or not the incident started Harry down a path separate from the royal family, he’s now living in California with Meghan and their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
