Prince Harry gets ‘neck tattoo’ in New York City in lead up to Invictus Games Whistler 2025

Prince Harry has wound back the clock to his bad boy youth, “inking” his first ever tattoo in New York City. Well, kind of.

The Duke of Sussex rolled into the famous East Side Ink in what was supposed to be a ploy to recruit tattooist Jelly Roll into appearing at the Invictus Games in Vancouver 2025 as a special guest.

Founded by the Duke in 2014, the annual event features Paralympic-style competitions for wounded, injured and sick army service members worldwide.

But Harry’s plans were swiftly thwarted when convinced to don ink of his own for the very first time.

“Do you know, I could not believe it when they called me and told me Prince Harry wanted to get a tattoo today and he wanted me to give him his first tattoo,” Jelly Roll said in a video posted to X by the Games.

“No, no, no, why are you wearing a glove?” the royal responded.

“We’re giving you a tattoo about the Invictus Games,” the tattooist said.

“No, I came here to ask you to do the Invictus Games,” Prince Harry insisted. “There’s no tattoo in this. I can’t get a tattoo. “

Though Jelly Roll proved mighty convincing, arguing he’d only show up to the event in Whistler if Harry agreed to receive his first tattoo, right then and there.

“Alright, screw it. Let’s go,” he finally agreed.

It was all a rouse, of course, with the 40-year-old toing and froing with his artist over the most appropriate place to cop it. And the least exposed.

“I was thinking on my lower back or on my a***”,” the prince suggested.

“Nobody wants to see your a***, Harry,” Jelly Roll replied.

Putting his acting chops to the test, the royal pretended to suffer under the gun as his new ink came to life.

So, what tattoo befits the neck of a prince?

Hardly butterflies or dragons — rather a tribute to the tattooist himself.

“I am Jelly Roll,” the tattoo read, with Harry pointing a mirror in his own direction to reveal the piece.

Capturing the imaginations of fans, tongue-in-cheek speculation over the neck tattoo’s authenticity offered plenty of laughs in response to the video.

“So, is it real?” one user asked.

“Ohhh wow, that’s freaking brilliant!!” another said.

However, some users argued that employing the prince to spruik the Games totally missed the mark, despite him being the founder and a 10-year British Army serviceman.

“Would prefer to see the veterans. We really do not need to see Harry as often as we do. The games are not about him, the games are for the veterans,” one user suggested.

Another argued, ”Really? A fake tattoo, a fake hero, a fake aviation legend. Time for a re-set I would suggest.”

Prince Harry and Jelly Roll will reunite at the Invictus Games’ closing ceremony on February 16.