Harry apologises to Canada for wearing LA Dodgers cap

The Duke of Sussex joked he was addressing the “blue-hatted elephant in the room” as he apologised to Canada for wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap to a World Series game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

At a dinner in Toronto honouring Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families, Harry said wearing the cap was the polite thing to do after being invited to the dugout by the team’s owner, and joked he would have “even worn a Yankees cap” to avoid floodlights shining down on an “ever-increasing bald spot”.

“Well, maybe not a Yankees cap,” he added.

The duke, who was speaking at the event hosted by Canadian military charity True Patriot Love Foundation, is in Canada for Remembrance Week events.

In October, Harry and his wife, Meghan, wore Dodgers caps and colours to a seventh-game decider won by the Los Angeles team, despite Meghan’s previous support for the Blue Jays – a nod to her former home city.

The former actress lived in Toronto while filming the legal drama Suits, and she and Harry spent time together there during the early stages of their relationship.

The royal pair moved to Los Angeles in 2020, after initially setting up home in Canada, and live in Montecito with their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.

Harry told dinner guests on Thursday: “As for my wife, she lived in Toronto for years and has deep affection for this city, so much so that many people around the world believe she’s Canadian, so I think we can forgive a native Californian for her Dodgers loyalty, even if just for one evening.”

During his visit to Canada, Harry met a 101-year-old Canadian Second World War navy veteran and other former servicepeople at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto ahead of Remembrance Day.

He watched veterans taking part in activities such as painting, ceramics and photography, and was even pictured lending a hand with one man’s artwork.

In his speech, he said it was “humbling” to hear the veterans’ stories, adding that the world they fought for now feels “increasingly fragile”.

He said: “To sit and hear and feel the weight of history through their words, was humbling beyond measure. The residents of Sunnybrook are people who, in their youth, stood in defence of principles that continue to define our humanity: freedom, dignity, and the rule of law.

“They crossed oceans not for conquest, but for peace. They rebuilt a world that had nearly destroyed itself. And now, in their later years, they still teach us through quiet wisdom and gentle humour, what service really means.

“Today, we must be honest; the world they fought for feels increasingly fragile. We see the erosion of respect for international institutions, the disregard of truth for political or personal gain, and the exploitation of peace as a brand rather than a promise.”

Among those the duke met was Brenda Reid, 101, who served at a women-run naval station in Nova Scotia during the Second World War and Harold Toth, 95, a Korean War veteran who enlisted with the Queen’s Own Rifles.

When asked by Harry about their war experiences, Ms Reid offered a playful warning about her fellow residents: “You can’t always believe the boys.”

The meeting and dinner were part of his two-day visit to Toronto to meet veterans, members of the armed forces community and military charities to mark the “Remembrancetide” period which spans the two-week period leading up to Remembrance Sunday.