Prince Harry condemns rising wave of antisemitism, Israel war on Gaza and says wearing Nazi uniform was one of his ‘past mistakes’

He Duke of Sussex says he has learned from his ‘past mistakes’ by wearing a Nazi costume to a costume party, as he condemns the rising tide of anti-Semitism around the world.

Prince Harry described the rise in anti-Semitic violence in Britain as “deeply disturbing” and criticized states for acting “without accountability and in a way that raises serious questions under international humanitarian law.”

The 44-year-old made the powerful comments in a written essay for The new statesmanarguing that he felt the need to speak out because remaining silent “allows hatred and extremism to flourish unchecked.”

In the piece entitled ‘My Fears of a Divided Kingdom’ he also expressed his concerns about rising anti-Muslim sentiment in Britain and the rest of the world.

Referring to the Manchester synagogue attack in october two people were killed, and the stabbing of two Jewish men in London Last month, Prince Harry said that “hate directed at people for who they are or what they believe is not protest. It is prejudice.”

Last month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Bondi Beach to meet survivors and emergency workers after the massacre there in December. Two gunmen opened fire during the celebration of Hanukkah on the Sea, killing fifteen people, including a ten-year-old girl.

Prince Harry and Meghan spoke with representatives of the Jewish community, including a mother who shielded her daughter from the gunfire.

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In his essay, Harry wrote: ‘We cannot ignore a difficult truth: when states act without accountability, and in ways that raise serious questions under international humanitarian law, criticism is both legitimate, necessary and essential in any democracy.

“The consequences are not limited to borders. They reverberate outside, shape perceptions and fuel tensions.”

While he admitted there was “deep and justified concern” about recent events in the Middle East and a “human and necessary” instinct to protest and demand responsibility, people needed to be clearer about the target of their anger.

The Duke wrote: “We have seen how legitimate protest against state actions in the Middle East coexists with hostility towards Jewish communities at home – just as we have also seen how criticism of those actions can too easily be dismissed or mischaracterized.

“Nothing, whether criticism of a government or the reality of violence and destruction, can ever justify hostility toward an entire people or faith.”

He added: “When anger is directed at communities – whether they are Jewish, Muslim or anyone else – it ceases to be a cry for justice and becomes something far more pernicious.”

Prince Harry also apologized for wearing a Nazi costume to a fancy dress party in 2005, calling it “one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”

“I am acutely aware of my own past mistakes – thoughtless actions for which I have apologized, taken responsibility and learned from them,” the prince wrote.

“That experience leaves me convinced that clarity matters now more than ever, at a time when confusion and distortion of the truth cause real harm – even when speaking clearly is not without consequences. It requires responsibility from all of us.”

Harry, who was 20 at the time, wore the uniform with a swastika on his left arm to an “indigenous and colonial” themed party hosted by a friend.

In his 2023 memoir Savethe Duke claimed that the now Prince and Princess of Wales had encouraged him to wear the Nazi uniform and “cried with laughter” when they saw him in it.

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