Prince Harry spotted at NYC celebrity tattoo parlor

Prince Harry was spotted at a celebrity New York City tattoo parlor this week just ten days after his 40th birthday. 

The Duke of Sussex dropped into East Side Ink in the city's Lower East Side at around 1pm on Wednesday and spent around an hour inside. 

It remains unclear what kind of ink - if any - the royal opted for. Staff at the shop were tight-lipped when questioned about his visit. 

'I couldn't tell you anything about anyone that stopped by without their permission. We would respect anyone's privacy in the exact same way,' owner Josh Lord told DailyMail.com.

'A tattoo is a deeply personal choice.... anything that happens here is your private moment.'

The royal pulled up in a black SUV flanked by members of his security team and the NYPD, images obtained by Page Six show.

The shop's owner said the prince stayed at the shop, where sessions cost up to $350 an hour, until just after 2pm. 

The tattoo parlor is renowned among celebrity circles, with the likes of 'Avengers' stars Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner all previously getting matching ink there.

East Side Ink, which opened in 1992, describes itself as one of the oldest tattoo parlors in New York City.

When it opened, the shop 'catered exclusively to bikers and hard-core body-art aficionados'.

However, today it boasts of tattooing everyone from, 'neighborhood punks to Oscar-Winning celebrities'.

'On any given day, you might find your favorite actor or musician getting tattooed right next to neighborhood regulars,' the website states.

The shop was listed as one of New York City's best tattoo parlors on Time Out's list for 2024. 

'It's an honor to get to do a lot of these,' Lord said of his A-list clientele, which also includes fake tattoos for TV shows including True Detective, for which the shop won an Emmy, and The Penguin.

Harry was in the Big Apple this week to support various  pet charities and businesses including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst. 

The visit forms part of a solo eight-day trip to New York and the UK, without wife Meghan Markle.

The prince is due to fly to London this weekend for his annual visit to support WellChild at their awards ceremony, again without his wife.

Royal experts previously told DailyMail.com his solo trip shows he is determined to 'carve out' new opportunities and 'assert himself' after turning 40.

On Sunday, Harry was seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium, actor Forest Whitaker, several UN Agency Heads, and other dignitaries, for an event to honor survivors of childhood violence.

He also spoke during a summit organized by the Clinton Global Initiative at the New York Hilton hotel on Tuesday.

The prince has previously spoken of his desire to get inked in his memoir 'Spare'.

In the anecdote, he described wanting to get a tattoo of Botswana amid a a boozed-up trip to Las Vegas where he was celebrating his new found freedom after stepping back as a senior royal. 

However, his security team stepped in and persuaded him not to go ahead.

'I was not going to get a tattoo, not on their watch, least of all a foot tattoo of Botswana,' Harry said.

'They promised to hold me down, known me out, whatever it took.'