Prince Harry

Born 15 September 1984, London. Full name: Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor. Usually referred to as 'Prince Harry'. His christening was in St George's Chapel, Windsor in December 1984.

Family

He is the second son of Prince Charles and the late Lady Diana née Spencer. His older brother Prince William was born in 1982.

Harry's parents separated in 1992 and four years later the marriage was divorced.

On 31 August 1997 Lady Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris, France. Several days later, on 6 September, Prince Harry aged 12, his father and brother, as well as his paternal grandfather HRH Prince Philip and maternal uncle Charles Spencer accompanied the coffin from St James' Palace to Westminster Abbey where the official ceremony took place.

On the coffin, apart from flowers and the Royal Standard, there was a letter written by Prince Harry.

Education

Like his older brother, Prince Harry first attended Mrs Mynors School, then Wetherby School. From 1992 until 1998 he attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire and later went to Eton College in Windsor. At Eton Harry took his GCSEs and in 2003 his A Levels (in Art and Geography).

After school Harry took a gap year that he spent in Australia and Africa. In Africa Harry worked in an orphanage in Lesotho. [1] Three years later Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho founded the charity Sentebale to support children and young people in Lesotho.

Military

In May 2005 Harry entered The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to become an Officer. After finishing the education in 2006, he started another training to become an armoured reconnaissance troop leader. From 2007 to 2008 Harry was in Afghanistan with the British Army for more than two months. In the same year (2008) Harry began his approx. 2 1/2 years training as a helicopter pilot with the Army Air Corps finished in 2010.

Misc.

Prince Harry is an avid sports fan. He plays polo, enjoys watching rugby and often goes skiing with his family, mostly in Klosters, Switzerland.

On his 18th birthday, Prince Harry was granted his own Coat of Arms by his grandmother HM Elizabeth II.

31 August 2007 marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Lady Diana. To commemorate her, the Princes participated in a 'Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Diana' at the Guard's Chapel. Both gave readings, Prince Harry's can be read here and watched here. Other members of the Royal Family were also present as well as members of Lady Diana's family.

In 2010 the first double portrait of the Princes was put on display at The National Portrait Gallery. It can be seen here.

Yellow Press

Prince Harry is referred to as the 'wild child' of the Royal Family and therefore can be found in the tabloids quite often. The probably biggest scandal happened in 2005 when Prince Harry wore a Wehrmachts uniform at a friend's party. [2] Harry quickly apologised and Clarence House called the outfit "a poor choice of costume". [3]

Sources

The official website of The British Monarchy. 26 April 2010.Royal.gov.uk
Clarence House. "Prince Harry". 26 April 2010. PrinceofWales.gov.uk
Msnbc.com. 26 April 2010. Msnbc.com
BBC News. 27 April 2010. BBC News
FOCUS Online. 3 May 2010. [4]