Prince Harry

Prince Harry’s Wild Las Vegas Trip Nearly Ended With a Permanent Mark

Prince Harry has never shied away from living life on the edge, but one impulsive decision during a boys’ trip to Las Vegas could have left him with a permanent reminder.

The Duke of Sussex, who has often been candid about his youthful adventures, revealed in his memoir Spare that he once came dangerously close to getting a tattoo while enjoying a wild getaway in 2012.

Harry explained that the idea came to him during a moment of reflection, as he searched for a way to mark what felt like a time of complete freedom and adventure. The thought of a tattoo quickly became his mission.

“I need something to commemorate this trip,” Harry recalled thinking. “Something to symbolise my sense of freedom, my sense of carpe diem. For instance… a tattoo? Yes! Just the thing!”

He considered various locations for the tattoo, mulling over his shoulder, his lower back, and even his foot. It was the sole of his foot that ultimately seemed perfect to him, especially because of the deep symbolism it held in his mind.

Harry revealed that the design he envisioned was inspired by Botswana, a country that holds special significance for him. He hoped to find a tattoo parlour nearby with a detailed atlas so that he could get a precise map inked onto his skin.

Excited by the idea, he went looking for his friend Billy the Rock to share his plan. But instead of joining in the excitement, Billy quickly shut it down. “No way,” he told Harry without hesitation.

Harry’s other friends immediately backed Billy up, making it clear that they were not going to let him follow through with his impulsive plan. They told him in no uncertain terms that a tattoo was “forever” and that he would regret making such a decision on a whim.

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The Duke revealed that his friends were so determined to stop him that they even promised to physically intervene if necessary. “They promised to hold me down, knock me out, whatever it took,” Harry wrote.

The group’s determination eventually swayed him, and the idea of the tattoo was abandoned. The planned foot tattoo of Botswana never materialised, though the story became yet another colourful chapter in Harry’s adventurous past.

Harry’s connection to Botswana is well documented. The country has served as a place of solace for him over the years, and it is where his romance with Meghan Markle began to blossom. The African nation remains one of his most cherished destinations.

In his memoir, Harry used the incident as an example of how his friends often acted as a grounding force in his life, stepping in when his impulsive nature threatened to take over.

This Las Vegas trip, already infamous for its wild moments, could have taken an entirely different turn if his friends had not intervened. A simple night out could have resulted in a tattoo he might have had to explain for the rest of his life.

While the Duke has never confirmed whether he regrets listening to his friends that day, his words suggest he looks back on the incident with a mix of amusement and relief.

It remains one of the many tales from his younger years that show just how close Prince Harry has come to making some decisions that would have left a permanent mark quite literally.