Prince Harry biography

Synopsis

Family Life

British royalty. Born Henry Charles Albert David on September 15, 1984, in London, England. As the second son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Prince Harry is third in line to the English throne, behind his older brother William. He has grown up under intense media scrutiny, having his personal tragedies as well as his antics and gaffes as the subject of numerous news reports.

His mother once described Prince Harry as "very artistic and sporty." At an early age, he developed an interest in riding and hunting. While the family lived in Kensington Palace during the week, they often spent the weekends at Highgrove House, their family's estate in Gloucestershire. Their mother strove to give both her sons "as normal a life as possible" despite their privileged position in British society. To this end, Prince Harry attended Mrs. Mynors nursery school in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. Princess Diana also took Prince Harry and his brother to amusement parks, fast-food restaurants, and other places frequented by other children their age.

Growing Up Under the Spotlight

Photographers were on hand as his parents dropped Prince Harry off for his first day at school in September of 1987. According to Ingrid Seward's William & Harry, the young prince had a difficult time adjusting to school initially. Despite his parents' increasingly strained marriage, he became known for his happy-go-lucky disposition as a child. Prince Harry also developed an interest in all things military as he matured.

In 1989, Prince Harry enrolled at the Wetherby School, where his older brother William was already a student. He then followed his brother to the Ludgrove School, a boarding school in Berkshire, in 1992. Around this time, he was reportedly informed of his parents' impending separation, which was officially announced that December. The couple divorced in 1996.

After the separation, Prince Harry and Prince William spent their school holidays dividing their time between their parents. They spent time at Highgrove with their father, enjoying outdoor pursuits, as well as going on official trips and vacations abroad. With their mother, they engaged in a variety of activities from going on tropical holidays to visiting AIDS clinics and homeless shelters.

Mother's Tragic Death

Prince Harry remained at Balmoral for several days after his mother's death, mourning in seclusion with his family. He then traveled to London with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his brother, to prepare for Princess Diana's funeral. On September 6, Prince Harry walked past thousands of people who had gathered to say good-bye to the woman many had dubbed "the people's princess." He trailed behind his mother's coffin in the funeral procession along with his brother, father, and grandfather, Prince Phillip.

After the service, Prince Harry and other family members traveled to Althrop, his mother's family estate in Northampton owned by his uncle Charles, the 9th Earl of Spencer. His mother's body was laid to rest on an island in the middle of a lake on the grounds there.

Struggling with this tremendous loss, Prince Harry suffered from nightmares about his mother's death for a time, according to Christopher Andersen's Diana's Boys. He returned to Ludgrove a short time after the funeral. During his next school break, Prince Harry traveled with his father to Botswana and South Africa. The trip lifted his spirit and gave him a chance to mingle with the members of the pop group Spice Girls during a concert there.

Teenage Challenges

Back at school, Prince Harry faced some academic challenges. It was decided that he would spend an extra year at Ludgrove before applying Eton College. All of his extra efforts paid off, he passed the entrance exam with flying colors. He began his studies there in 1998.

That same year, Prince Harry and Prince William demonstrated their cheeky sense of humor with a surprise 50th birthday party for their father, which featured some comedy sketches poking fun at Prince Charles. Actors Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, and Emma Thompson were all part of the act. Around this time, the princes also met their future stepmother Camilla Parker Bowles—the woman that their father had been involved with on and off for years.

Like some other teenagers, Prince Harry liked to party. He reportedly engaged in underage drinking—sometimes at a pub and at Highgrove—and tried smoking marijuana during the summer of 2001. In January of 2002, reports of the prince's illegal activities made tabloid headlines. Prince Harry admitted his misdeeds to his father who made the young royal visit a South London rehabilitation center to see firsthand the dangers associated with drug use.

In 2003, Prince Harry graduated from Eton. He spent some time traveling through Australia, Argentina, and Africa after finishing school. An avid polo player, Prince Harry participated in the Young England versus Young Australia Polo Match Test in Australia. He became involved in charity work while visiting Lesotho in southern Africa. He worked at a home for orphans of AIDS victims. To promote awareness of the problems there, he created a documentary