BRISBANE, Australia (AP) – An Australian politician whose father was held in a German labor camp during World War II said Saturday that he plans to withdraw his allegiance to Britain’s queen – the nation’s formal head of state – after seeing a photo of Prince Harry wearing a swastika armband.

Henry Palaszczuk, the primary industries minister for northern Queensland state, said he will seek to withdraw his allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II – part of his oath of office – at the start of parliamentary proceedings on Monday.

Palaszczuk said he wants to replace his oath of allegiance with an affirmation that mentions the Queen but does not swear allegiance to her. Queensland politicians can choose to declare either the oath or the affirmation.

Palaszczuk, whose Polish father was imprisoned in a German labor camp during World War II, said he had previously held the royal family in high regard.

“I was probably one of the few who held the royal family in any regard and one of the few politicians who chose the oath of allegiance rather than the affirmation,” he said.

The picture of the 20-year-old prince in a Nazi uniform was snapped by a guest at a costume party last Saturday and it was widely published in newspapers last week.

Harry, who is third in line for the throne, apologized Wednesday, saying it was a “poor choice of costume,” but Jewish groups and others were outraged.


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