REBECCA DUTCH: Was The Crown (made by Prince Harry’s Netflix paymasters) right to portray Prince William and encourage him to wear Nazi costumes?

It was, he admits, one of the “biggest mistakes” of his life.

Now Harry’s shame about wearing a Nazi uniform to a party has been gleefully recreated by Netflix in the very last episode of The Crown.

But in this case, the prince’s close relationship with the streaming service seems to be paying off. Harry, who reportedly has an £80million production deal with Netflix, notably shies away from criticizing the series’ increasingly cartoonish storylines.

The on-screen portrayal of his Nazi debacle seems to stick close to his own memory of the incident in his memoir Spare.

In the book, Harry took little responsibility for his actions, essentially blaming Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate for turning him on.

The Crown has the trio – played by Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy – in a costume shop in the Cotswolds, planning the ‘natives and colonials’ themed party.

The Crown has the trio – played by Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy – in a costume shop in the Cotswolds, making plans for the ‘natives and colonials’ theme party

While William goes like a lion, his younger brother doesn’t know what to do until he comes across a uniform of the Afrika Korps – Rommel’s troops in North Africa – complete with swastika armband.

While William goes like a lion, his younger brother doesn’t know what to do until he comes across a uniform of the Afrika Korps – Rommel’s troops in North Africa – complete with swastika armband.

‘Germany had an empire, didn’t it?’ he asks on the spot. “What about this one?” “I don’t know,” Kate answers. “Maybe cover the swastika?” But William comes to defend his brother.

“Oh come on. Wearing this outfit doesn’t make him a Nazi. Isn’t that the joke?’ he adds. In the mirror, a cheerful Harry, then twenty years old, gives the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute as he makes his choice.

At the party, hosted by Olympic show jumper Richard Meade, Harry is photographed by two shocked guests who sell the photos to The Sun.

The royal family is then shown watching the front pages in horror, while the young prince shouts obscenities as he realizes his mistake.

In a later scene, the two brothers argue with their father over dinner about the scandal.

“You were all for the uniform and egged me on,” Harry snapped. ‘Suddenly you are Mr. Morality. Stabbing me in the back… How many faces does this man have?’

In a later scene, the two brothers argue with their father over dinner about the scandal

At the party, hosted by Olympic show jumper Richard Meade, Harry is photographed by two shocked guests who sell the photos to The Sun.

The royal family is then shown watching the front pages in horror, while the young prince shouts obscenities as he realizes his mistake.

William then says, “I’m not sure I like who you’re turning into.”

“I’m not sure I like who you’ve been,” Harry replies angrily.

In Spare it is not suggested that William and Kate were ever in the fancy dress shop at the same time. But Harry is very much portraying himself as a victim, claiming the pair promised to help him find a suitable outfit.

The prince says he called them to discuss his options, explaining it was a trade-off between wearing the uniform of an RAF pilot or a Nazi.

He wrote: ‘I called Willy and Kate and asked what they thought. Nazi uniform, they said.’

He describes how he took it home and tried it on for them – with a “real Hitler” mustache on it – and “they both cried.”

He said William was “sympathetic” about the ensuing commotion, but “there wasn’t much to say.” His father was surprisingly understanding, but a public apology was deemed necessary.

Award-winning writer of The Crown, Peter Morgan, has insisted he has read ‘not a word’ of Spare, adding: ‘I didn’t want his voice to shape my thinking too much. I have a lot of sympathy for him… but I didn’t want to read his book.’