With Meghan Markle’s Netflix debut of With Love, Meghan, 2025 is expected to be a thrilling year for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
But January probably brings back bad memories for Harry, who had a New Year’s accident in 2009 that led to his father, King Charles, apologizing. The royal wrote in his book Spare about his time in the army at the age of 21, when a “harmless” error went horribly wrong and resulted in “heated condemnations.”
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Harry clarified that a video he had taken in the airport three years prior while still a cadet went viral in 2009 after he was accused of racism.
“I was killing time before our flight by playing around, making fun of the group, and giving a running commentary on each of the guys. When I got to Ahmed Raza Kahn, a Pakistani cadet and good friend, I said, ‘Ah, our little Paki friend.’”
“I was unaware that the word “Paki” was a slur. I heard that word a lot growing up, but I never saw anyone wince or flinch, and I never thought they might be racist. I also had no knowledge of unconscious bias. I was twenty-one years old, surrounded by privilege and loneliness, and if I gave this word any thought, I thought it was similar to Aussie. harmless.
“Severe condemnations started coming in after the footage was sold to News of the World,” he said.
“They said, ‘Prince Harry is worse than a thicko,’ and ‘He’s a racist, worse than a party boy.’”
“I was condemned by the Tory leader. A cabinet minister flogged me on television. I was condemned to the BBC by Ahmed’s uncle. I was hardly able to comprehend this commotion as I sat in Highgrove and watched it pour down.
“On my behalf, my father’s office apologized. I also wanted to issue one, but courtiers told me not to. “That’s not the best plan, sir.” Strategy is a waste of time. I had no interest in strategy. I wanted no one to believe that I was racist. I was concerned about avoiding racism.
Ahmed’s personal apology was accepted by the Duke of Sussex, who also noted that “his forgiveness, his easy grace, only made me feel worse.”
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Royals at New Year
His festivities would probably have been more subdued this year. We imagine that Harry and Meghan, along with their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, rang in the New Year in private from their Montecito home.
The pair has also been known to love traveling; months before they met Harry, former Suits actress Meghan spent the 2016 dawn in Iceland’s snow.
Meghan smiled while holding a glass of champagne to the camera in the snow and posing beneath a sign that read “Town of Elves” while wearing chunky winter boots, according to a brief video that was unearthed from her old Instagram account.
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The original caption Meghan wrote for the photos read, “Happy New Year from #Iceland! 2016—how lovely it is to meet you, sweetheart. Let’s toast to another fantastic year ahead.
The late Queen Elizabeth usually rang in the New Year with family at his Norfolk estate, Sandringham, where King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated in 2024.
Charades and other party games are customarily played by the family in addition to a service at Sandringham’s St Mary Magdalene Church.
Photo: © Netflix
Harry’s 2025
In the upcoming year, Prince Harry will embrace change, according to royal astrologer Debbie Frank.
“As the rebellious planet Uranus is due to hover over Harry’s destiny point in 2025 he’s facing some decisions about his role in life, where he wants to be and what matters for him personally,” Debbie explained.
“He might veer back and forth in his search for the answers to all of the problems that are difficult to resolve. He wants to deviate from expectations and try something new.
“There is some disruption and unrest caused by this maverick energy. He might also be the target of change that is imposed on him because of this feature,” she continued.
