Prince Harry apologises to Canada over baseball cap 'Hatgate'

Prince Harry has apologised to Canada over the recent 'Hatgate' scandal while joking about thinning on top.

The Duke of Sussex found himself in hot water after he had been seen wearing an LA Dodgers cap at the World Series  last week as he supported the Dodgers over the Blue Jays during the Fall Classic.

When asked by CTV News if there was anything he would like to say about the scandalous move, Harry said: 'Oh the LA Dodgers hat, hatgate. Firstly I would like to apologise to Canada for wearing it.

'Secondly, I was under duress, there wasn't much choice, I was invited to the LA Dodgers box or the dugout by the owner himself so I thought I was doing what was the polite thing to do'.

He then pulled out a Blue Jays cap and placed it on his head, saying he would wear that hat from now on to 'make sure I don't make any more of those mistakes'.

The Prince then joked that there was another reason he was wearing the LA Dodgers cap to the game.

'But the other piece to this was... when you're missing a lot of hair on top and you're sitting under floodlights, you'll take any hat that's available'. 

He explained that through Game Five, Game Six, and Game Sever, he was Blue Jays throughout. 'Now that I've admitted that, it's going to be really hard for me to return to Los Angeles,' he said.

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who are now residents of LA, left many Canadians far from impressed when they donned the Dodgers hats during the World Series last week. 

Both have connections to Toronto that made that decisions surprising.

Markle lived in Toronto while filming the TV show that made her famous - Suits - spending seven years there and regularly talking up her relationship with the city.

'It is like my home,' she told Best Health magazine in 2015. 'At the onset, I didn’t know what to expect, but everyone has been so welcoming.

Harry, meanwhile, trained with Canadian forces during his time in the military, and Canada is part of the Commonwealth, once under British rule. 

The couple also incurred the wrath of Dodgers fans, as they were seated in the front row ahead of sporting legends Magic Johnson and Sandy Koufax.

The pair were relegated to sitting in the second row behind the couple, while the couple sat in the front row right behind the pitch clock.

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Prince Harry denies claims he was trying to upstage William by announcing pseudo-royal Canada visit

It is unclear whether they paid for the seats, or were invited as VIPs by the team.

Ultimately, it was the Dodgers who won the World Series, as they bested the Blue Jays in an epic Game 7 to repeat as back-to-back champions.

Harry's apology came after he met some of Canada's oldest veterans as he continues his pseudo-royal trip around Canada. 

The Duke of Sussex denied deliberately trying to overshadow Prince William - who is in Brazil for the Earthshot prize - through taking part in a high–profile tour of his own.

Today, Prince Harry travelled to Sunnybrook Hospital's veterans centre in Toronto where he joined a group of Canadian war heroes for a creative arts class.

The centre has worked with veterans to help them express their stories, honour their service, and find connection through art.  

In one particularly touching picture, Harry can be seen kissing the hand of 91-year-old Villa Shah. 

He also painted poppies on an army helmet with 101-year-old veteran Jim LaForce who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War Two where he took part in the Battle of Normandy. 

Harry also met Ed Marshall who served in the air force and as a paratrooper during the war.

Speaking to veteran Brenda Reid, Harry asked what the veteran's most memorable war story was, Ms Reid cautioned that, when it comes to her fellow residents, 'you can't always believe the boys'.

Ms Reid, 101, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy and was posted to a station in Nova Scotia run entirely by women during the Second World War 

As a humorous gift, Harry was presented with a Toronto Blue Jays cap. 

Yesterday, the Duke spent time with members of Canada's Reserve Forces in Toronto, meeting with soldiers from two historic Army Reserve units.

The visits were made to highlight the important role Reserve Forces play in Canada's military capability.

Harry conversed with soldiers from the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and the Royal Regiment of Canada.

The Queen's Own Rifles, which was founded in 1860, is Canada's oldest continuously serving infantry regiment.

The Prince of Wales landed in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of his environmental award, the Earthshot Prize.

But as William began his first engagement at Sugarloaf Mountain, his younger brother's office in California announced a trip to Canada this week ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

The Brazil visit marks a pivotal and personally important moment for the heir to the throne – who jetted out of the UK after he and his father stripped his uncle Andrew of all his titles and his Windsor home.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said the timing of Harry's announcement was 'inevitable if not predictable'.

But a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex has hit back, declaring: '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 period of Remembrance tide traditionally extends from the 1–11 November and has done since 1918, over 100 years. He can't choose to move those dates.'

The spokesman added: '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.

'This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke's heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017.'

The British royal household was informed of Harry's Canada plans in advance – a sign that communications between the King and his youngest son are open again.

But Harry and William, however, are understood not to be talking.

In a previous statement Harry's team blamed the timing of his trip on the fact he is 'not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family'.

'It means therefore, that the period of time in which we can release details of events is much more truncated than it is for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales', his spokesman added.