LONDON — Prince Harry was in Toronto for events commemorating the end of World War I and found himself on an apology tour for offending Canadians.
Speaking to a military charity on Thursday night, the Duke of Sussex once again sought to address “the blue-hat elephant in the room”. He was referring to his widely ridiculed choice of wearing dodgers Cap in the World Series game in Los Angeles against blue Jays,
This was seen as a major insult in the British Commonwealth nation of Canada, where his father, King Charles III, is head of state. He was criticized on social media in the Great White North.
Harry apologized for his mistake and tried to put a comedic spin on the incident, which he called “hat gate.”
In an interview with Canadian broadcaster CTV he joked, “When you don’t have a lot of hair on you and you’re sitting under a floodlight, you’ll take any hat that’s available.”
He then donned a Blue Jays hat that was at arm’s length.
This event was seen by some as a test of his allegiance between his birthplace and his adopted home in America. The prince and his wife Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and briefly moved to Canada before settling in California.
Harry and Meghan’s appearance at Game 4 of the series — which Los Angeles won in seven games — also angered some Dodgers fans, who were upset by their prominent position behind home plate.
The couple sat front row in front of the Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Monarchs lakers‘ Magic Johnson, who is a part owner of the team.
Harry said the couple, who live in the luxurious coastal neighborhood of Montecito, about an hour west of Los Angeles, were invited to the game by the team owner.
He felt “under pressure” and wore the hat as a polite gesture, something he told the Toronto audience that he thought Canadians – known for their civility – would support.
Harry was in Canada on Tuesday for two days of events and meetings ahead of Remembrance Day, which honors members of the armed forces killed in the line of duty.
“I’m really sorry about wearing the Dodgers cap,” he said to applause at a dinner for the True Patriot Love Foundation, a charity for Canadian service members and veterans.
He then highlighted his ties to the country, including the fact that his actor wife, before they married, lived in Toronto for so long shooting the show “Suits” that many people thought she was Canadian.
He added, “Hopefully you can forgive him as a native Californian for his Dodgers loyalty, even if just for an evening.” “But all jokes aside, this city has always meant a lot to me. You provided me with a wife.”
Harry insisted that he was supporting the Blue Jays for the final three games of the series – he told CTV that this admission could make his return to Los Angeles more difficult.
