Prince Harry Shocks Haunted House Employees During Surprise Jimmy Fallon Appearance

Can't blame them.

Prince Harry and Jimmy Fallon screaming in a haunted house with a creepy character behind them
(Image credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

Halloween is just about a month away, but Prince Harry got into the spooky season mood a bit early with an unexpected royal visit in his NYC itinerary. On Sept. 26, the Duke of Sussex traded royal speeches for a more playful appearance, joining Jimmy Fallon for a hilarious trip through a haunted maze.

Harry's stop to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon focused on visiting "Jimmy Fallon's Tonightmares," a new haunted attraction in Rockefeller Center—and while the duke enjoyed some scares in the maze, he also managed to shock some of its costumed performers.

Equipped with bodycams, Fallon and Prince Harry navigated a maze filled with "sinister characters" that bring the TV host's "nightmares to life," according to the attraction's website. But when they encountered a spooky rock band, it was the employees' turn to be surprised.

Prince Harry Visits Jimmy Fallon's New Haunted Maze Experience "Tonightmares" | The Tonight Show - YouTube Prince Harry Visits Jimmy Fallon's New Haunted Maze Experience
Watch On

"Who was that?" one performer—who sat at a drum set—asked another costumed worker after Fallon and the duke walked away.

"Prince Harry!" the leather-clad actor replied, with the pair exchanging shocked open-mouth expressions as the first dramatically fanned herself.

As for the Duke of Sussex, he told Fallon "uh, not normally, but today might be different" when asked if he was "easily scared." However, the prince's expletive-filled reactions to the maze might have proven differently.

Prince Harry wearing a green shirt and laughing at Jimmy Fallon's haunted maze

(Image credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

After being surprised by a zombie-like creature bursting through a door, the prince grabbed onto Fallon's chest, much to the amusement of viewers. "That actually got me," Fallon admitted.

Frightening encounters aside, the Duke of Sussex got down to some serious work while he was in New York City, taking on engagements with charities like The HALO Trust and The Diana Award during UN Climate Week.

He wrapped up his trip by discussing the challenges and opportunities that travel brings to global communities, discussing a real-life issue he finds more frightening than a haunted house.

During a 5-year-anniversary event for his non-profit Travalyst, the Duke of Sussex told the audience that "as a father of two" he finds the statistics around climate change "absolutely terrifying."

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.”