Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 11:28, 9 September 2007

Prince Henry of Wales (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984), commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and his first wife, the late Diana, Princess of Wales although doubts remain over the identity of his biological father. He is third in the line of succession to the thrones of the United Kingdom and the other fifteen Commonwealth Realms, behind his father, and his older brother, Prince William. A grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry holds the rank of Second Lieutenant (known in the regiment as Cornet) in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry of the British Army. He is a tank commander, trained to lead a 12-man team in four armoured reconnaissance vehicles.

Harry's full title is His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, although he is commonly referred to as Prince Harry. Like his brother William, Harry uses "Wales" when a surname is required. The Prince's official family name is Windsor, according to his grandmother's Royal Proclamation of 1960, but some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II appear to use the name Mountbatten-Windsor as personal preference.

Early life

Royal family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
The King The Queen The Prince of Wales The Princess of Wales Prince George of Wales Princess Charlotte of Wales Prince Louis of Wales The Duke of Sussex The Duchess of Sussex Prince Archie of Sussex Princess Lilibet of Sussex The Princess Royal The Duke of York Princess Beatrice Princess Eugenie The Duke of Edinburgh The Duchess of Edinburgh The Duke of Gloucester The Duchess of Gloucester The Duke of Kent The Duchess of Kent Princess Alexandra Prince Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent
v t e

Prince Harry was born on 15 September 1984, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in central London, UK, and was christened on 21 December of the same year at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie. His godparents were: his uncle the Duke of York, Lady Sarah Chatto, Lady Vestey, Mrs. William Bartholomew; the portrait painter, Mr. Bryan Organ; and Mr. Gerald Ward.

Education

Harry attended Mrs. Jane Mynors's nursery school in West London, as did William. He later followed his brother to the Wetherby School, and later to Ludgrove School in Berkshire. He then attended Eton College located in Berkshire in 1998. In June 2003, he completed his education at Eton with two A-levels; At school, he developed his love of sport, particularly polo and rugby. The Prince has shown a keen interest in abseiling. He has also participated in the Eton Wall Game.

After finishing Eton, Harry undertook a gap year, visiting Australia and Africa. In Australia, he, like his father before him, worked on a cattle station, and watched the 2003 Rugby World Cup being held in the country. In Africa, he worked in an orphanage in Lesotho. Later in the year, he travelled to Argentina on holiday.

On 8 May 2005, the Prince entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. There, he was known as Officer Cadet Wales instead of using his royal title, and was part of Alamein Company.

Royal duties

As a serving soldier, Prince Harry currently has no official Royal Engagements.

In April 2006, Prince Harry launched a charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to aid children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The charity is named Sentebale: The Princes' Fund for Lesotho; the name, Sentebale being a Sesotho word meaning forget-me-not, is meant to honour both princes' mothers: the former Princess of Wales, who died in 1997; and Queen 'MaMohato of Lesotho, who died in 2003. Prince Harry was in Lesotho to launch the charity and to make a return visit to Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek, which he visited in 2004 during his gap year.

Along with his elder brother, Harry spearheaded the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, on 1 July 2007. Attended by 63,000 people, and broadcast in 140 countries, the concert raised funds for charities such as the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Centrepoint and Harry's own Sentebale.

Patronages, presidencies and chancellorships

As with any member of the Royal Family, Prince Harry is expected to take up honorary positions as patron, president or chancellor of charitable or academic institutions throughout the Commonwealth Realms. Prince Harry is currently patron of:

• WellChild
• Sentebale

Army

Prince Harry passed out as a newly commissioned officer at the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April, 2006. Currently ranked as a Lieutenant, he uses Wales as his surname, and is known in the army as Troop Commander Wales. The following month Prince Harry joined the Blues and Royals, a regiment of the Household Cavalry in the British Army, followed by training as a tank reconnaissance troop commander. That year Prince Harry was also appointed as one of nine new Commodores-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, alongside other members of his family, being appointed as Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving.

On 22 February 2007, the Ministry of Defence and Clarence House made a joint statement that Prince Harry would be deployed with his regiment in Iraq, to serve as part of the 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division, although this decision was later rescinded. The last member of the Royal Family to serve in a war zone was Prince Harry's uncle, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who flew helicopters during the Falklands War in 1982. At the time, Prince Andrew was second in line to the thrones of the Commonwealth Realms, although this changed to third on the 21 June, 1982, the birthday of Prince William and the day after the British Government declared hostilities to be over. According to a BBC news article, Prince Harry had made it clear that he would leave the army if he was left in safety while his regiment was sent to a war zone.

The head of the British army, General Richard Dannatt, first said on 30 April 2007, that he had personally decided that the Prince will serve with his unit in Iraq. The Ministry of Defence had been considering whether the Prince should be exposed to a combat situation; concerns included the Prince being a high-value target, as several threats by various groups have already been made against him, and the dangers the soldiers around him would face should any attempt be made on his life or capture. However, families of serving soldiers have expressed concern over any decision which would exempt Prince Harry from active service in Iraq. The Prince has been quoted as saying "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country." Although friends of the Prince have indicated that he would be "disappointed" if he were not allowed to go, they are also quoted as saying he would not resign from the army in protest.

Harry was scheduled to leave for Iraq in May or June 2007, with the regiment becoming responsible for patrolling the Maysan province, trying to stop Iranian smugglers bringing hi-tech weapons across the border of desert and marshes. The province, known to Coalition forces as Iraq’s "Wild West", has been described as "a dangerous wilderness that is being used by Iraq's Shia extremist groups as a testing ground for their latest explosive devices." On 16 May, 2007, Dannatt, contrary to his previous remarks, announced "I have decided today that Prince Harry will not be deployed to Iraq." Clarence House subsequently issued a statement that "Prince Harry is very disappointed that he will not be able to go to Iraq with his troop on this deployment, as he had hoped. He fully understands and accepts General Dannatt’s difficult decision, and remains committed to his Army career. Prince Harry’s thoughts are with his troop and the rest of the Battle Group in Iraq."

By early June, it was being reported that Prince Henry, third in line to the Canadian Throne, had arrived in Canada to train, along with other soldiers of the Canadian and British Armies, at CFB Suffield, near Medicine Hat, Alberta, for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Personal life

Girlfriends

The media continue to speculate about any and all of Prince Harry's possible girlfriends. The Prince's best known romance has been with Chelsy Davy, a Zimbabwe-born white African heiress to an African ranching and real estate fortune. In an interview conducted for his 21st birthday in September 2005, Prince Harry referred to Davy as his girlfriend and the press reported that their relationship was at that time 18 months old, strongly contradicting reports they were no longer a couple. In July, 2006, photos were published of the two kissing at the Cartier Polo International Tournament, and by October that year it was reported that Davy had accepted an offer from the University of Bristol, which is 27 miles from Highgrove, to study for a postgraduate degree in politics. Harry and Chelsy were both seen together publicly at the Concert for Diana.

While training at Canadian Forces Base Suffield (noted above), Harry appeared with two plainclothed Royal Canadian Mounted Police escorts at a popular Calgary nightclub, and was reportly seen flirting with one of the female bartenders, Cherie Cymbalisty. When asked if he was the prince, Harry showed her his military ID. Harry remained behind after closing and when leaving gave Cymbalisty a kiss on the cheek. Harry, who is said to be still dating Chelsy Davy, acted like "Prince Charming" according to Cymbalisty's original interview. However, Cymbalisty later claimed in an interview with the tabloid News of the World, for which she was paid over $30,000 CAD, "the only thing on his mind was whether or not I was wearing underwear."

Costume controversy

At a party with the fancy dress theme "Colonial and Native", Prince Harry wore a Nazi armband, causing some controversy. It was a considerable embarrassment to his family. He issued a public statement apologising for his actions. His lack of apology in person angered some groups.

Paternity

Harry's mother admitted in an interview with BBC's Panorama that she had committed adultery with James Hewitt. There has long been rumours, especially in the foreign press , that Prince Harry is actually Hewitt's son. However, this has been persistently denied by Hewitt, though St James's Palace has always declined to comment. Most sources state that Diana did not even meet Hewitt until 1986, when Harry was already two years old. However, under hypnosis, Hewitt stated that he had met Diana "in 1981 or 1982."

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

• 15 September 1984-: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales

Styles

Prince Harry is currently third in line for succession to the Thrones (behind his father and elder brother). Should he eventually succeed to the throne and keep his first Christian name, he would probably be known as Henry IX. Henry Benedict Stuart is sometimes known by this title by supporters of the Jacobites, but he never attempted to seize the throne and is not listed in the official chronology of the rulers of England.

Honours

Honorary military appointments

• 2006 –: Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving

Arms

On his 18th birthday, his grandmother, Elizabeth II, granted Prince Harry his own personalised coat of arms, the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with a label for difference: Quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or (England), 2nd Or a Lion rampant within a Double Tressure flory counterflory Gules (Scotland), 3rd Azure a Harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland), the whole differenced by a Label of five points Argent the first third and fifth points charged with an Escallop Gules.

Prince Harry's coat of arms has a label of five points, as the grandchild of the sovereign. The escallops (seashells) allude to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whose Spencer coat of arms includes three escallops argent.

Ancestry

See also

• British prince
• British Royal Family
• Canadian Royal Family
• Line of succession to the British Throne
• Genealogy of the British Royal Family

References

1. As a titled royal, Harry holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Mountbatten-Windsor (or his father's territorial designation, Wales)
2. Harry begins Sandhurst training, BBC News, May 8, 2005
3. Prince Harry off to Iraq, USA Today; Feb 22, 2007
4. Harry joins the Blues and Royals, BBC News; May 8, 2006
5. ^ "Harry Will Serve With Combat Unit in Iraq", AOL News, Apr 30, 2007
6. Harry Iraq deployment no surprise, BBC News; 22 February, 2007
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6594223.stm
8. "A ‘Wild West’ in the east where militias learn their deadly trade", The Times, 26 April 2007
9. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/16/iraq.harry/index.html Prince Harry will not got to Iraq, CNN 16 May 2007.
10. Prince Harry deployment update, 16th May 2007
11. Canadian Press; CTV News: Prince Harry may be training in Alberta: reports; June 2, 2007
12. Kennedy, Sarah; Fernandez, Pablo; Gilchrist, Emma; Sun Media: Prince Harry training in Alberta; June 2, 2007
13. Harry at 21 on Camilla, the media and Aids children in Africa, Stephen Bates, The Guardian, September 15, 2005
14. CBC News: Prince Harry takes 'quite a shine' to Calgary bartender; June 8, 2007
15. CTV News; June 11, 2007]
16. White, Tarina; Calgary Sun: Calgarian exposes Dirty Harry; June 10, 2007
17. Harry says sorry for Nazi costume BBC News, January 13, 2005
18. Harry public apology 'not needed' BBC News, January 14, 2005
19. Separated At Birth: James Hewitt and Prince Harry Bongo News, April 13, 2005
20. Prince Harry: Who's My Daddy?!, TMZ.com, June 14, 2007
21. Hewitt denies Prince Harry link BBC News, September 21, 2002
22. Sydney Morning Herald: September 23, 2003
23. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16147029&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=hypno-di-sed-name_page.html

External links

• Prince Harry's eulogy to Princess Diana delivered on 8/31/07
• Prince Harry's interview with NBC's Matt Lauer
• Royal.gov.uk - Prince Harry

• Personal Profile - Prince Harry - From Prince of Wales official Site
• Illustrated biography of Prince Harry
• Prince Harry Not Going to Iraq on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)
• Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at IMDb

Template:Persondata

• 1984 births
• Living people
• English and British princes
• English Anglicans
• Mountbatten-Windsor family
• British Army officers
• Old Etonians
• Old Ludgrovians
• People from London