Prince Harry Through the Years: His Royal Life, Military Career, Fatherhood and More

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Prince Harry Through the Years: His Royal Life, Military Career, Fatherhood and More

Life on his own terms. Prince Harry is unlikely to become the king of England, but he's carved a unique path as a philanthropist, father and military veteran. King Charles III and Princess Diana welcomed their youngest son in September 1984, two years after the arrival of Prince William. Unlike his older brother — who became second in line to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022 — Harry grew up with the knowledge that he the so-called "spare." The Invictus Games founder has never seemed particularly bothered by that fact, though, telling Newsweek in 2017: "Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time." The U.K. native hasn't been shy about how life in the public eye has affected his mental health, however. In his 2021 Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See, the BetterUp CIO revealed that he started therapy four years earlier to “heal” his past trauma, including the death of his mother when he was just 12 years old. The late Princess of Wales died at age 36 in a car crash in Paris. [jwplayer uibe1Dq8-l3ahXupL] “I wasn’t in an environment where it was encouraged to talk about it … and that was sort of, like, squashed,” Harry explained in the show's premiere episode. “For many, many years I didn’t even think about it. It wasn’t like I was holding onto it. I was unaware of it. I always wanted to be normal as opposed to Prince Harry, just being Harry.” The Duke of Sussex described the period between his 28th and 32nd birthdays as "a nightmare time" in his life. "I was just all over the place, mentally," he explained. It took a new romance with the woman who would become his wife — Meghan Markle — to help him realize that he needed to work on himself. “I quickly established that if this relationship was going to work, that I was going to have to deal with my past because there was anger there and it wasn’t anger at her," Harry recalled in the show's third episode. "It was just anger and she recognized it. She saw it. So, how do I fix this? And it was a case of, ‘You need to go back to the past, go back to the point of trauma, deal with it, process it and then move forward.'” The former helicopter pilot and the Suits alum tied the knot in May 2018 and later welcomed son Archie (born in 2019) and daughter Lili (born in 2021). In April 2022, Harry said that he felt like his late mother's presence was "constant" since he became a father. "It’s almost as though she’s done her bit with my brother and now she’s very much back to helping me," he explained during an interview with the Today show. "Got him set up, now she’s helping me set up. That’s what it feels like, you know? ... I feel her presence in almost everything that I do now." Keep scrolling for a look at Harry's life in photos.

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Prince Harry Through the Years: His Royal Life, Military Career, Fatherhood and More

Life on his own terms. Prince Harry is unlikely to become the king of England, but he's carved a unique path as a philanthropist, father and military veteran. King Charles III and Princess Diana welcomed their youngest son in September 1984, two years after the arrival of Prince William. Unlike his older brother — who became second in line to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022 — Harry grew up with the knowledge that he the so-called "spare." The Invictus Games founder has never seemed particularly bothered by that fact, though, telling Newsweek in 2017: "Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don't think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time." The U.K. native hasn't been shy about how life in the public eye has affected his mental health, however. In his 2021 Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See, the BetterUp CIO revealed that he started therapy four years earlier to “heal” his past trauma, including the death of his mother when he was just 12 years old. The late Princess of Wales died at age 36 in a car crash in Paris. [jwplayer uibe1Dq8-l3ahXupL] “I wasn’t in an environment where it was encouraged to talk about it … and that was sort of, like, squashed,” Harry explained in the show's premiere episode. “For many, many years I didn’t even think about it. It wasn’t like I was holding onto it. I was unaware of it. I always wanted to be normal as opposed to Prince Harry, just being Harry.” The Duke of Sussex described the period between his 28th and 32nd birthdays as "a nightmare time" in his life. "I was just all over the place, mentally," he explained. It took a new romance with the woman who would become his wife — Meghan Markle — to help him realize that he needed to work on himself. “I quickly established that if this relationship was going to work, that I was going to have to deal with my past because there was anger there and it wasn’t anger at her," Harry recalled in the show's third episode. "It was just anger and she recognized it. She saw it. So, how do I fix this? And it was a case of, ‘You need to go back to the past, go back to the point of trauma, deal with it, process it and then move forward.'” The former helicopter pilot and the Suits alum tied the knot in May 2018 and later welcomed son Archie (born in 2019) and daughter Lili (born in 2021). In April 2022, Harry said that he felt like his late mother's presence was "constant" since he became a father. "It’s almost as though she’s done her bit with my brother and now she’s very much back to helping me," he explained during an interview with the Today show. "Got him set up, now she’s helping me set up. That’s what it feels like, you know? ... I feel her presence in almost everything that I do now." Keep scrolling for a look at Harry's life in photos.

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1984

Charles and Diana welcomed Harry two years after their eldest son, William. Harry was third in line to the throne when he was born, but after William welcomed his own children, he fell to fifth in line following the death of Elizabeth.

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1991

The princes joined their parents on a royal visit to Canada, where they visited the Royal Ontario Museum and the CN Tower in Toronto.

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1997

Harry and William famously walked behind their mother's coffin during her funeral procession to Westminster Abbey. The HALO Trust patron later slammed the decision to have him and his brother participate. “My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” he told Newsweek in June 2017. “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

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1998

The brothers joined their father for another visit to Canada less than one year after Diana's death.

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2005

Harry came under fire in January after he was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform at costume party. "I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone," the duke said in a statement at the time. "It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize." Four months later, Harry entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he began his officer training in the British Army. After completing the training, he became a cornet in the Blues and Royals. In 2007, he was briefly deployed to Afghanistan, but he was pulled out after authorities worried that his presence would become a danger for other soldiers on the ground.

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2008

Harry's aunt Princess Anne presented him with an Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan for his service during the Afghan War. He was the first member of the royal family to serve in a combat zone since his uncle Prince Andrew flew helicopters during the Falklands War in 1982.

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2010

Two years after entering the Defense Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury, Harry earned his flying wings in a ceremony led by his father. One year later, he was promoted to captain. In 2012, he was redeployed to Afghanistan, where he served for 20 weeks.

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2011

Harry served as his brother's best man in William's wedding to Princess Kate. William later served in the same role at Harry's wedding to Meghan.

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2014

Harry launched the Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded and injured servicemen and women, whether active duty or veterans.  

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2015

Kensington Palace announced in March that Harry would finish his career with the Armed Forces in June. "The happiest times in my life was the 10 years in the army. Without question," Harry later revealed in The Me You Can't See. "Because I got to wear the same uniform as everybody else. I had to do all the same training as everybody else. I started from the bottom like everybody else."

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2016

Harry began dating Meghan in July after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. In November, the prince issued an unprecedented statement slamming the U.K. media for its treatment of his then-girlfriend. "Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments," Kensington Palace said at the time. "Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game.' He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his."

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2017

Charles announced his son's engagement in November. "His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month," Clarence House said in a statement at the time. "Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents."

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2018

Harry and Meghan tied the knot at a ceremony held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. On the morning of the wedding, the queen named the couple the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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2019

The couple welcomed their first child, son Archie.

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2020

Harry and Meghan announced in January that they were planning to step down as senior members of the royal family. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the duo wrote in a joint statement at the time. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”

Two months later, the pair made their final appearance as working royals when they attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. As part of the exit arrangement, Harry agreed to give up his military titles. The pair retained their royal titles but are not allowed to use them.

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2021

Harry returned to the U.K. and reunited with William so they could dedicate a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace. “Today, on what would have been our Mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character — qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better," the pair said in a statement at the time.

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2022

The prince attended his grandmother's funeral in September after her death at age 96. While he was not permitted to wear his military uniform during most of the events, he was given special permission to wear it for the royal family's final vigil over her coffin. “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander in chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren," Harry said in a statement after Elizabeth's passing. "I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over."

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2022

Harry teamed up with his wife for a six-part docuseries on Netflix titled Harry & Meghan. The project hit the streaming site in December and detailed the couple’s early romance — they met via Instagram — as well as the road to their 2018 wedding and the drama that followed.

 “This is a first-hand account of Harry & Meghan’s story, told with never-before-seen personal archive,” a disclaimer read at the beginning of the series. “All interviews were completed by August 2022. Members of the royal family declined to comment on the content within this series.”

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2023

The prince released his memoir, Spare, in January. The book detailed his upbringing, his past drug use, his complicated relationship with brother William and why he chose to leave the U.K. for the U.S. amid fear for his family’s safety.

Harry explained that the title of the book stemmed from being dubbed the “spare” because he is the second child of Charles and Diana. William, for his part, is the heir to the throne, which Harry said set the tone for their dynamic at an early age.

 “Two years older than me, Willy was the Heir, whereas I was the Spare. This wasn’t merely how the press referred to us — though it was definitely that. This was shorthand often used by Pa and Mummy and Grandpa. And even Granny,” Harry wrote. “I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced after.”