Prince Harry Breaks Silence on Dodgers Cap Controversy: What Really Happened "Under Duress"?

The 2025 World Series was an absolute whirlwind—think epic 18-inning marathons, heated on-field clashes, and a pinch-hit grand slam that rocked the stands. But amidst all that baseball drama, none of it quite overshadowed the unexpected royal stir stirred up by none other than Prince Harry himself. Yep, the Duke of Sussex found himself in the spotlight for an entirely different reason: showing up at Game 4 rocking a Los Angeles Dodgers cap while cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays. That one wardrobe choice? It hit a nerve with Blue Jays fans and Canadians alike — especially given Harry’s lingering ties to the constitutional monarchy up north.

Now, this isn’t just some routine celebrity style moment at Dodger Stadium. Nope—it’s a first, in that he’s the first high-profile individual in line for a throne, proudly sporting the rival team’s gear on their home turf. And yeah, he’s owned up to it, chalking it up to politeness (and a bit of stadium lighting paranoia about hair loss). Still, the backlash was swift and, well… intense. It’s clear the Canadian crowd takes their baseball—and their monarchy—very seriously.

As the Blue Jays heartbreakingly fell just short of capturing the World Series crown, this royal apparel faux pas became the cherry on top of a tense, emotionally charged postseason for Canada. For all the twists and turns of the games, sometimes the biggest headlines aren’t about the ballgame itself—but the tif and off-field moments that make sports, well, downright fascinating.

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The 2025 World Series had everything, including an 18-inning game, a brawl and a pinch-hit grand slam. Plus a faux pas involving the British royal family.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, apologized Thursday for wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap while attending Game 4 of a Fall Classic involving the Toronto Blue Jays, with his wife Meghan. The Dodgers cap triggered a wave of backlash from Blue Jays fans and other Canadians who noted he still has a formal connection to the country’s constitutional monarchy.

Harry isn’t the first celebrity to wear a Dodgers cap at Dodger Stadium, but he might be the first to do it while being in line for the throne of the other team’s country.

Appearing on CTV News on Thursday, Harry apologized and said he wore the hat because he had been invited to the game by Dodgers owner Mark Walter:

“Firstly, I would like to apologize to Canada for wearing it. Secondly, I was under duress. There wasn’t much choice. I was invited to the LA Dodgers’ box by the dugout by the owner himself, so I was doing what I thought was the polite thing to do. But I’m going to wear [this Blue Jays hat] from now on to make sure I don’t make any more of those mistakes.

He proceeded to imply he was worried the Dodger Stadium lights would make his hair loss more visible, before reiterating his Blue Jays fandom:

“The other piece of 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.

“So Game 5, Game 6, Game 7, I was Blue Jays throughout. Now that I’ve admitted that, it’s going to be really hard for me to return to Los Angeles. No, I’m very sorry to the Canadian public. Devastated that the Blue Jays lost, but go Jays.”

“Devastated” isn’t a bad way to describe Canada’s feelings regarding last week, as the Blue Jays lost the World Series about as painfully as you can imagine. The team had two chances to win the series after taking a 3-2 lead in the Dodger Stadium games, then lost both games in excruciating fashion. Game 7 in particular saw them squander a ninth-inning lead then lose it in the 11th on Will Smith’s homer.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex react during the fifth inning of game four of the 2025 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) — Prince Harry said he wore a Dodgers cap due to concerns about etiquette and baldness. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Ronald Martinez via Getty Images)

It was a tense series from the first game, so Canada unsurprisingly didn’t like it when the man fifth in line for their country’s throne showed up repping Dodger blue.

Harry and Meghan have primarily been Los Angeles residents since stepping back from their roles in the royal family in 2020. Meghan herself is a Los Angeles native, but did spend much time in Toronto while filming her most-known role in “Suits.” The couple also made their first public appearance together in Toronto at the 2017 Invictus Games, of which Harry is the founding patron.