Prince Harry celebrates his 40th birthday today. The beloved and controversial royal no longer represents the Royal Family but is still active with causes close to his heart. As he marks a monumental birthday, we take a look at the Prince’s life.
Prince Henry Albert David was born to the then Prince and Princess of Wales on 15 September 1984 during the reign of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. He has one older brother, Prince William.
Harry, as he is known, was educated in private schools in the United Kingdom before enrolling in Sandhurst for military training.
His young life was not easy as his parents separated in 1992 and a media battle ensued, dubbed the War of the Waleses. They eventually divorced in 1996. A year later, an unthinkable tragedy struck William and Harry.
Prince Harry alongside his brother and mother greeting former US First Lady Barbara Bush. By George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Their beloved mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a Paris car crash after being chased by paparazzi. She was only 36. The United Kingdom and the world went into mourning. Most alive at that time remember seeing William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin in London on their way to Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry became a military hero after serving in Afghanistan twice alongside the British and American forces. He has dedicated his life to helping service people recover from armed conflict. Inspired by the American Warrior Games, he created the Invictus Games – an Olympic-type sporting event for injured, wounded or sick military personnel from across the globe in 2014. It is held roughly every two years in a different country.
The next Invictus Games are in 2025 in Canada.
He also created Heads Together alongside his brother and sister-in-law, Catherine, in 2016 to support mental health wellbeing.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during the carriage procession of their 2018 wedding. By Londisland, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Prince Harry married American biracial actress, Meghan Markle, in 2018, and his grandmother made him the Duke of Sussex. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the latter of whom was born in Meghan’s home state of California.
Initially welcomed by the public, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex undertook engagements on behalf of the Crown, including tours of Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The Duchess faced racist attacks in the British media, as well as an anti-American bias. Proud of her American heritage, she didn’t abandon her culture and fully adapt to the British way of life. Eventually, the Duke and Duchess stepped back as working members of the Royal Family and relocated to California, where they continue to reside.
The couple has given interviews and created Netflix documentaries that discuss their time in the Royal Family, and Prince Harry wrote a tell-all book, Spare, that was not well received back home in the UK or with his family. They’ve been accused of using their connections to the Royal Family to make money and now have a low favorability rating in the UK. Once extremely close, William and Harry are not thought to be on close speaking terms since the latter spoke out about their family publicly.
The Duke of Sussex sued for libel by the British media and sued the Home Office for not providing security to him and his family. The latter case was dismissed, but the Prince can appeal in his quest to have full security restored. Regarding the former, Harry eventually dropped the case against the Mail on Sunday publishers.
Harry walks with his family behind the coffin of his grandmother. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
The Duke and Duchess have returned to the UK very few times, including for the funeral of Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. The Duke also came back to London for his father, King Charles III’s Coronation in 2023.
Prince Harry, by all accounts, is happy with his life with his family in California. He’s not ruled out becoming an American citizen. He and the Duchess keep their children out of the media spotlight and work with their Archewell Productions company on various endeavours. It remains to be seen if they make amends with the Royal Family or return to royal duties.
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