LONDON - Jewish groups and lawmakers in Britain criticized the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II today for wearing a Nazi soldier's uniform to a fancy dress party.

Prince Harry, the second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, apologized in a statement after a British newspaper printed a picture of him clutching a cigarette and a drink and wearing a swastika armband.

"I think a lot of people will be disappointed to see that photograph and it will cause a lot of offense," said Michael Howard, leader of Britain's main opposition Conservative Party.

"I think it might be appropriate for him to tell us himself just how contrite he now is," added Howard, who is Jewish. He didn't specify how he thought the prince should make the apology.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke, however, said he was satisfied with Harry's statement. "He's apologized and I think we should leave the matter there," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

The picture of the 20-year-old prince appeared in The Sun newspaper.

In a statement, Harry said he was "very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone."

"It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize," he added.

Jewish groups reacted swiftly to the incident.

"The fact that the palace has issued an apology indicates that this was a mistake by the prince," said Rabbi Jonathan Romain, a spokesman for the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain. "But having being given, the apology should now be accepted."

Harry, who plans to enroll this year at a military college, has long been known as the wilder of Charles and Diana's two handsome sons, in contrast to his university-student brother Prince William, 22.

Harry, third in line to the throne, has been photographed drinking in London's trendiest nightclubs and three years ago was sent by his father to observe a drug rehabilitation center after being caught smoking marijuana. In October he scuffled with a paparazzi photographer outside a London nightclub.