Unfortunately for Prince Harry, there are some details from his past that can't be passed off as fiction. Despite his family and their lives providing the 'historical fiction' for six successful seasons of The Crown, a lot of the storylines can be traced back to real life.
And yes, Prince Harry really did wear a Nazi costume at a party in 2005. First published by The Sun, it made the front page of nearly every newspaper at the time, caused outrage around the world and has come back to haunt him since. He even mentioned it in his notorious memoir Spare earlier this year.
So why did Prince Harry wear a Nazi costume? And what does the scandal say about him and the royal family? We've done some digging so you don't have to.
Did Prince Harry really wear a Nazi costume?
Yes, Prince Harry wore a Nazi costume to a party in 2005. At the time, he was 20 years old and third-in-line to the throne. He wore a beige army shirt and trousers with a swastika armband around his arm.
Why did Prince Harry wear the Nazi costume?
Prince Harry wore the Nazi costume to a 'Native and Colonial' themed fancy dress party (yikes) and seemingly thought it was an amusing outfit to wear at the time. Following rightful backlash and offence, he issued a statement via Clarence House – his father King Charles' London residence at the time. It said, 'I am very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise.'
What was the reaction to Prince Harry wearing a Nazi costume at the time?
Unsurprisingly, the response to Harry's costume was not good. The Conservative leader at the time, Mr Michael Howard – whose own parents fled the Holocaust – said, 'I think a lot of people will be disappointed to see that photograph and it will cause a lot of offence. Prince Harry has apologised. I have no doubt that his father and his family will have a good deal to say to him in private. I think it might be appropriate for him to tell us himself just how contrite he now is.'
The former Liberal Democrat leader Mr Charles Kennedy said that the public have a 'tremendous fund of good will' for Prince Harry and his brother Prince William because of the death of their mother Princess Diana, but added that it would not last forever. He then called upon the prince to apologise in person.
The late Queen Elizabeth's former assistant press secretary, Mr Dickie Arbiter, said: 'It's just not good enough to behave like that. We all know history, and at 20 there is no excuse.'
The Board of Deputies of British Jews decided that, while the costume was 'in bad taste', its members were willing to accept Prince Harry's apology. Rabbi Jonathan Romain of the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain said it should be accepted too.
However, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of one of the largest international Jewish human rights groups, said: 'This was a shameful act displaying insensitivity for the victims, not just for the soldiers of his own country who gave their lives to defeat Nazism, but to the victims of the Holocaust who were the principal victims of the Nazis.'
Did Kate and William encourage Prince Harry to wear the Nazi costume?
Prince William was also a guest at the 'Native and Colonial' themed party, and years after the incident took place, Harry has suggested that William encouraged his costume. Apparently, William was dressed as a lion at the party and, according to Prince Harry, he and Kate Middleton 'howled with laughter' when Harry showed them his outfit.
In his book Spare, Harry wrote that it was a toss up between a Nazi and a pilot for his costume. He wrote: 'I phoned Willy and Kate, asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said.' He then said that he went home and showed them both the outfit. 'They both howled. Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous! Which, again, was the point.'
What has Prince Harry said about the Nazi costume scandal?
Prince Harry has called the whole scandal 'probably one of the biggest mistake of his life'. However, many people find the amount Prince Harry has discussed it in the years that have followed bizarre.
One senior publishing source said, 'It’s strange as you would think that Harry would take ownership of this and just move on and not drag his brother into it, but he makes it clear that he feels strongly about William’s role in the scandal.'
It even came up during this series of I'm A Celebrity, when former UKIP leader Nigel Farage defended the costume during a conversation about cultural appropriation with fellow camp mate Nella Rose.