These days, when most people think of Prince Harry, they might picture him in clean-cut suits giving speeches with his wife, Meghan Markle. They might think of his charity work or of his divisive choice to abandon his royal duties. What people may not remember is that the Duke of Sussex had a reputation as a different kind of royal troublemaker, and he was the face of multiple scandals growing up. And now, one of his most outrageous romps is coming back to bite him.
It Never Stays In Vegas
In the late summer of 2012, Prince Harry went on a wild trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he certainly didn’t abstain from all of the vices the city had to offer. After losing his clothes in an apparent game of strip-billiards, someone snapped a photo of the nude prince. Unsurprisingly, the shocking photo made its way to TMZ where the tabloids flocked to it like vultures, catching the future duke in a royal scandal for the ages.
Flash forward ten years and Harry is a duke, husband, father, and philanthropist—but Vegas hasn’t changed. Now, a former exotic dancer by the name of Carrie Royale who claims to have been present at that racy game is auctioning off a royal keepsake: Prince Harry’s underwear.
According to Royale, she’s held on to the prince’s discarded undergarments all this time, and now she’s ready to cash in. She’s announced that her goal is to reach a $1 million bid before the auction closes on September 30, and it’s been reported that the bidding has already reached $250,000.
But why is she doing all of this? Well, her answer may surprise you. “I am holding the auction to help remind him of his fun side, the side that his marriage to his wife Meghan has tried to control,” Royale declared.
And as much as Harry probably wants to keep his nose out of the crude exhibition, Royale is making it difficult. The performer has announced she’ll be donating an undisclosed portion of the proceeds to the duke’s charity, the Archewell Foundation.
A Great Story… If You Can Prove It
But we have a pressing question: How do we know it’s Prince Harry’s underwear? From where we’re standing, Royale could be auctioning off any old pair of undies and no one would know the difference. Aside from enlisting the aide of a forensic scientist and a very cooperative member of the monarchy—both of which certainly have better uses for their time—there’s just no way to confirm Royale’s wild story.
Furthermore, we’re certain Harry would rather just forget that night in Vegas entirely. Months after the incident, the prince finally gave his outlook on the scandal. “I probably let myself down,” Harry lamented. “I let my family down, I let other people down.”
But the prince brought up an interesting point that still applies to Royale’s actions all these years later. “At the end of the day, I was in a private area and there should be a certain amount of privacy… The way I was treated… I don’t think is acceptable.”
And it’s true—Harry is far from the first person to get carried away and do things he regrets. His actions weren’t illegal, and while it’s an unsavory look for a prince, it doesn’t look any better for the people so keen on trying to humiliate him. But this saga hasn’t concluded. In the meantime, we’re still waiting to see if someone really will shell out $1 million for a pair of underwear that may or may not have belonged to the sixth in line to the British throne.