Prince Harry’s Los Angeles Dodgers hat made so many headlines he had to apologize for it.
“Firstly, I would like to apologize to Canada for wearing it,” Harry, 41, quipped while chatting with Canada’s CTV News on Thursday, November 6. “Secondly, I was under duress.”
The Duke of Sussex explained that there “wasn’t much choice” for him when it came to “hatgate” — as he called it.
“I was invited to the L.A. Dodgers box or the dugout by the owner himself,” he added. “So, I was doing what I thought was the polite thing to do.”
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Harry and wife Meghan Markle were photographed at Dodger Stadium on October 28 to watch Game 4 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
During Thursday’s interview, Harry could be seen putting on a Blue Jays cap and made a promise to the people of Toronto.
“I’m going to wear this from now on to make sure I don’t make any more of those mistakes,” he added, noting that he did root for the Blue Jays for the rest of the World Series games. (The Dodgers won the World Series for the second year in a row following Game 7 on Saturday, November 1.)
Harry further noted that he donned the Dodgers hat for a more practical reason as well.
“When you’re missing a lot of hair on top and you’re sitting under flood lights, you’ll take any hat that’s available,” he joked. “I’m very sorry to the Canadian public. I’m devastated that the Blue Jays lost, but go Jays.”
Harry’s disappointment in the Blue Jays’ loss was apparent when Meghan, 44, posted a video on social media of her celebrating the Dodgers win. He kissed his wife in celebration for her team’s success, but he didn’t seem thrilled.
Meghan’s bestie Kelly McKee Zajfen appeared to dig the knife deeper over Toronto’s loss when posting her own social media video of the two women cheering for the Dodgers.
“Best game ever! Sorry H your team didn’t win, but mine diiiiiiid,” Zajfen wrote via Instagram Stories on Sunday, November 2.
Why is a former royal family member a Blue Jays fan, one might ask? Well, Harry has a long history with Canada. The duke’s personal connection to the country stems back to his time serving alongside the Canadian Armed Forces while deployed in Afghanistan during his time in the military. (Harry also hosted the Invictus Games in Vancouver earlier this year.)
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Harry also praised his love for Toronto on Thursday, thanking Canada for bringing him Meghan. The couple spent time in Toronto during the early days of their romance while Meghan was filming Suits.
“This city will always mean a great deal to me,” he said during the True Patriot Love Foundation National Tribute Dinner. “You provided a wife for me and you hosted the Invictus Games in 2017, touchstones in my life both professionally and personally.”
Harry is currently in Canada for a trip to honor veterans for Remembrance Day. He denied the visit was a dig at brother Prince William, who is traveling to Brazil at the same time.
Because Harry is “not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family,” his outings need to be announced closer-to the events, a spokesperson for Team Sussex shared earlier this week.
“The events were planned nearly a year ago. The date of the main event, the dinner, is set by the charity, not Prince Harry,” the statement continued. “He can’t choose to move those dates. We are always guided — as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event’s security team.”
