Prince Harry: From Young Boy To Dashing Royal

Prince Harry and the rest of the United Kingdom's royal family have captured the attention of worldwide audiences for generations — the decadent lifestyles, the storied history, and the jewels are attractive enough. But aside from the lavish goods that the royals are granted, people can't help but be interested in the people behind the titles. Who are the royals? What do they really think and feel?

Getting answers to such highly personal questions never seemed to be a possibility, until Harry came onto the scene. The youngest child of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, Harry has defied a lot of royal expectations. Just a child when his mother died, Harry was thrust into the spotlight at the earliest of ages, and it seems like the public and the press have been keeping tabs on him ever since.

Harry transformed from a young kid whose mother had tragically passed away to a bit of a bad boy with a player's reputation, to a husband and a father. His growth, in both the public and private spheres of his life, have been drastic, and the public has been following him every step of the way. So how has Harry's life evolved? You're about to find out, because this is the stunning transformation of Prince Harry.

On September 15, 1984, Prince Harry was born to parents Charles and Diana, then-Prince and Princess of Wales. The birth of another boy after big brother Prince William was celebrated throughout the United Kingdom. From that moment forward, all had their eyes on Harry. As his first years went by, it was clear Prince Harry had the looks of his mother. According to Vogue, Princess Diana called Harry "my little Spencer." This wasn't just because he had the red locks attributed to Diana's side of the family, but also the personality. She said, "Harry's the naughty one, just like me."

But with the naughty also comes the nice. Even as a small child, Prince Harry and his brother, William, went with their mother to various charity and volunteering events. According to The Telegraph, she hoped it would help her sons understand people's emotions, hopes, and dreams. And this kindness was not just for the people. As a child, Prince Harry used to be the one to tend to the sheep at the family's country estate. Like mother, like son.

Sure, the young princes grew up as royals surrounded by other royals, but Prince Harry, as well as his older brother Prince William were, in some ways, like any other kids growing up. Harry and William even had typical childhood diets. So, just what did King Charles and Princess Diana's youngest child eat for dinner? According to the royal chef at the time, Darren McGrady, pizza, burgers, and spaghetti and meatballs could be found on his menu from time to time.

As McGrady told Hello! magazine, "They were royal children but they still had children's palates." And it wasn't just the type of food that made Princes William and Harry feel like normal children. Princess Diana also made it a family meal. McGrady said, "The food was actually put on the sideboard and they just go and help themselves, as opposed to in the palace where they're served each course."

At least in the eyes of the public, there was always a clear distinction between Prince William and Prince Harry given their statuses as the heir and the spare; however, the two boys were reportedly close growing up. "Broadly speaking, they have always been very different characters but very close because of their situation — the fact that [their parents'] marriage was unhappy," royal biographer Penny Junor told People. "They relied upon each other."

Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl wrote in "William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls" that the young princes thought of themselves as "Team Wales," and there didn't seem to be any resentment brewing despite the special attention William received as the heir. If anything, William may have seen Harry as the lucky one. Nicholl recounted a story of the young princes in which William said he wanted to work as a police officer and care for his mother. Harry reportedly replied, "Oh no you can't, you've got to be king!" 

A letter Princess Diana wrote in 1984 shortly after Harry's birth shows the deep bond between her two sons. "William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!" read the missive (via Good Housekeeping).

King Charles III and Princess Diana's relationship was rocky from the start. They'd only been on a handful of dates when they became engaged, and it didn't help that Charles was still pining for his ex, Camilla, Queen Consort (then known as Camilla Parker Bowles). Throw in a 13-year age gap, and it's easy to see why things didn't work out between them. Even their now-infamous engagement shows how ill-suited the two were; when asked if they were in love, Charles said, "Whatever in love means" (via Oprah Daily).

The couple officially separated in 1992 after years of emotional distance between them, notes History. Three years later, in an interview with the BBC (via PBS), Diana was asked if Camilla had anything to do with the split. "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," she said.

Charles and Diana divorced in 1996 and were granted joint custody of Princes William and Harry, per The Washington Post. According to royal biographer and historian Robert Lacey, watching his parents' marriage fall apart had a profound impact on Harry's life and made him determined not to follow in their footsteps. "His attitude was: 'Well, I'm not going to make the same mistake as my parents,'" Lacey told The Post (via Page Six). "'I'm marrying for love.' ... That impulse has guided him."

People all over the globe were devastated when Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, after the car she was in crashed while trying to flee the paparazzi. She was just 36 years old. Her death hit her sons the hardest, who not only had to deal with the loss of their mother but also watched the world grieve for a woman who had become an icon to them.

"It was very, very strange after her death, you know, the sort of outpouring of love and emotion from so many people that had never even met her," Harry later said in the 2017 documentary "Diana, Our Mother" (via Town & Country). He added, "I was thinking to myself, how is it that so many people that never even met this woman, my mother, can be crying and showing more emotion than I actually am feeling?"

Harry was expected to hold in his pain at one of the most difficult points of his life. Just 12 years old at the time, Harry had to join other men of the family as they walked behind Princess Diana's coffin at her funeral procession, something that left the young prince traumatized. "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 decades later. "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances."

As time went on, Prince Harry continued his life doing what was expected of him. And this included Eton. In September of 1998, the 13-year-old joined his older brother at the Berkshire school, where he would live during his studies — with a bodyguard living in the room next door full-time, of course. And it wasn't just the studies that were now different for the prince but even his day-to-day wardrobe. From the black tailcoat to the waistcoat and stiff collar, the Eton uniform dated back to the 19th century. But not all would have been thrilled about the decision to send Harry to Eton. 

According to BBC News, Princess Diana had been "concerned that he was perhaps not as academically inclined as Prince William." And apparently the princess was not the only one who felt that way. Much later, in 2015, Prince Harry confessed that he didn't enjoy school. The Telegraph reported that, while speaking to a group of children at a Cape Town youth center, he said, "I would like to have come to a place like this. When I was at school I wanted to be the bad boy."

The last few years at Eton were not the easiest for Prince Harry. In 2001, the 16-year-old admitted to drinking underage and smoking marijuana. According to The Guardian, the prince was running with the wrong crowd when these activities started to happen. After hearing this, his father asked Prince William to encourage his brother to visit the Featherstone Lodge Rehabilitation Centre in south London. The prince went for a day in order to see what addiction would lead to.

After this incident, Prince Harry was still known for his partying, but he focused on school and graduated from Eton in 2003. Then, in 2005, the 20-year-old was back in the media for a controversial decision. He was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party, and the media response and disgust was immediate. The prince apologized in a statement, saying he was "very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone ... It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize." After years of drinking and partying, Prince Harry was ready to take the next step and move on.

Prince Harry graduated from Eton in 2003, earning two A-Levels, getting a B in Art and a D in Geography, per Tatler. Never much of an academic, Harry took a gap year following his graduation and traveled the globe. In his year off he spent three months working on a ranch in Australia and also did travel work in Africa, as noted by the BBC. 

While gap years are hardly uncommon, particularly in the U.K. where Quartz says it is a tradition, Harry's year off may have had more to do with rehabbing his image. ITN noted that the gap year came after Harry's party prince exploits were widely reported by the press, and that film crews followed the work he did in Africa at Harry's invitation. "It was hoped that this would improve his public image and highlight the plight of people in Lesotho, South Africa," ITN reported.

Prince Harry may have been the center of media attention for his various scandals, but his dating life also took center stage for paparazzi and millions of jealous girls around the world. Prince Harry was the bad boy in the royal family who seemed fun to be with. After his schooling was complete, Prince Harry's relationships began to take shape.

His longest relationship and first serious girlfriend was Chelsy Davy. They met in Africa during Prince Harry's gap year between graduating from Eton College and joining the army. Whenever the media caught the two together, it felt like a real relationship and never a photo opportunity. They dressed casually, and the couple's chemistry was obvious. However, the intense media focus took a toll. As Davy later told The Times (via People), "I found it tough." She admitted, "It's not something you get used to." The relationship lasted on and off for about seven years, but the intense spotlight ended up being too much and the couple broke up in 2010. But the 24-year-old prince had learned his lesson about drama in the past, and the split with 23-year-old Davy was amicable.

A royal source confirmed to People, "They are remaining friends ...There have been all sorts of reasons given [for the split] but suffice it to say they felt that it had run its course." The same result happened with the prince's next long-term relationship with Cressida Bonas, heiress and aspiring actor. The couple dated from 2012 to 2014, and things ended as Bonas felt overwhelmed by the media's criticism.

Years after spending part of his gap year working on a ranch in Australia, Prince Harry returned to the country to serve with the Australian Defence Force. In April 2015, the royal family announced that the young prince would spend a month patrolling with the country's special forces, spending some of his final weeks there before ending his 10-year military career that June. "Prince Harry has trained and served alongside Australian armed forces on operational tours to Afghanistan; he has met them during the Invictus Games; and even trekked to the South Pole with a couple of Australian soldiers," a spokesperson for the prince said in 2015 (via BBC News). "Those experiences reinforced the huge admiration and respect he already had for Australian servicemen and women and has stoked his enthusiasm even more to build on those relationships in the next four weeks."

In a statement discussing the end of his military service as well as his four weeks with the Australian Defence Force, Harry said, "Spending time with the Australian Defense Force will be incredible and I know I will learn a lot" (via Us Weekly).

After those years of dating drama, Prince Harry became a man of the military. In May of 2005, the 20-year-old prince joined the British Army. After working his way up for years, the prince eventually became an Apache Aircraft Commander. Throughout this time, Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan, and in 2014, he took a staff officer role in London. It was during this time the partying prince changed his ways. He began to work more closely with charities.

Once in his staff officer role, the prince was able to focus on organizing the Invictus Games, an international sports event in which wounded and sick armed service personnel can compete. According to Today, when the prince made the decision to retire from the military in June 2015, he wanted "to spend more time helping wounded service members, battling AIDS and working with other charities." He was now in the news not for the scandals, but for giving back to others.

Since leaving the military in 2015, Prince Harry has constantly been seen out and about at various charity events. Still with a clear focus on the Invictus Games, the prince continued to give back to a variety of organizations. In October of 2016, the 32-year-old attended an event for the WellChild charity, which recognized the bravery of children with intense illnesses and those who help take care of them. Many of events and organizations the prince takes part in support children in need. This is when we see the fun Prince Harry come out, not out late partying, but volunteering and helping families in need. In November 2016, the prince could be found in Antigua joining in during a youth sports festival. At these events, the Harry is a kid himself — dancing with everyone and playing soccer and volleyball.

If the royal rumor mill is to be believed, there's no love lost between Prince Harry and his stepmother, Camilla, Queen Consort. It's understandable that a young Harry would have harbored resentment for her, considering the role she played in breaking up his mother and father's marriage, and Harry reportedly viewed her as something of a usurper. "Harry will never truly love her, his mother was meant to be queen, and Camilla will always be the woman who led to his parents' divorce," a source told Page Six in 2022. 

Royal biographer Robert Jobson wrote in "William's Princess" that neither Harry nor William was pleased that Charles married Camilla, claiming (via Express), "Privately, their mood was more one of 'acceptance' than undiluted joy at the prospect of having Camilla as their stepmother." 

Although Harry and his brother expressed public support for the 2005 nuptials, Penny Junor wrote in "The Firm" that Charles and Camilla waited to marry in order to give the princes some time to adjust. "They didn't want to foist a stepmother on William and Harry before they had fully grown up," she wrote (via Express). "Accepting Camilla as a fixture in their father's life has been difficult for them." Junor further explained, "They loved their mother and are fiercely loyal to her memory — and know that Camilla was the cause of her terrifying unhappiness." Junor added that the scandal was especially hard on Harry.

In 2016, Prince Harry launched Heads Together alongside his brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales. Later, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, joined the foundation. The mental health initiative joined eight charities in an effort to combat the stigma around mental health and help those needing mental health assistance. "We have seen that unresolved mental health problems lie at the heart of some of our greatest social challenges," Prince William said upon Heads Together's launch, as reported by ABC News. "Let's all get together and change the conversation from one of silence and shame to one of optimism and support."

According to the organization's website, Heads Together is now run by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. Harry and Meghan broke away from the foundation in 2019, as noted by Reuters, a year before stepping down as senior royals.

The phrase "keep calm and carry on" originated as a slogan during World War II, encouraging the British to keep their chins. Perhaps no one has taken the phrase to heart quite like the British royal family, who have been known to remain tight-lipped on personal woes. Princess Diana disrupted that long-held stoicism when she opened up about her mental health in a BBC interview in 1995, discussing her postpartum depression and eating disorder. When asked how the royals reacted to her depression, Diana said (via PBS), "Well maybe I was the first person ever to be in this family who ever had a depression or was ever openly tearful. And obviously that was daunting, because if you've never seen it before how do you support it?"

Decades later, Prince Harry spoke about his own mental health challenges in "The Me You Can't See," an Apple TV+ show he created with Oprah Winfrey. Harry revealed that the stress of being a working royal was especially difficult from the ages of 28 to 32. Harry described experiencing panic attacks and anxiety, saying (via Harper's Bazaar), "I would just start sweating. I would feel as though my body temperature was two or three degrees warmer than everybody else in the room." Thankfully, things improved after he started going to therapy. 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Prince Harry has come a long way over the years as a royal who's had to deal with the spotlight since birth. He's had tough times, but we've always had a soft spot for the lovable royal. He continues to give back to children in need, people with AIDS, those in the military, and so forth. And he always does it with that Prince Harry grin we've grown to love. And what about the prince's love life?

When he was 32, he began dating then-35-year-old American actor Meghan Markle. The couple met in July 2016, and the whirlwind romance then began.

Prince Harry and Markle later described to BBC News the story of how they met. And just like many couples, it was through a mutual friend. The romance took off quickly. As Prince Harry described during the interview, "We met once and then twice — back to back — two dates in London, last July.... And then it was I think about three, maybe four weeks later that I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. And we camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic."

Okay, we take it back — that may not exactly be a story that many couples can relate to.

It became very clear that this relationship was serious for Prince Harry when in November of 2016 a statement was released from "the Communications Secretary to Prince Harry."

In this statement, Prince Harry addressed the harassment that Meghan Markle had been facing. Part of the statement read, "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. Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home."

Even though this was a formal statement, the prince's emotions were evident. The statement also said, "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."

And then, just a year after that initial statement to the press, the royal engagement was officially announced. The news came from the Clarence House Twitter account. As the tweet read, "The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle." As the statement described, the couple was engaged earlier in November 2017 in London. The wedding was planned for spring 2018.

If you weren't sure just how classy Prince Harry is, the statement continued, "Prince Harry also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle's parents."

As the happy couple spoke of their engagement and relationship to BBC News, it seemed like they could be any couple talking of their exciting news. Prince Harry went into detail about the moment he popped the question, sharing, "She didn't even let me finish, she said 'can I say yes, can I say yes?' and then there were hugs. I had the ring on my finger and I was like can I give you the ring? She goes, 'oh yes the ring!'"

He then opened up and gushed about his love for his future bride. He said, "I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly — it was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned. This beautiful woman literally tripped and fell into my life. I fell into her life and the fact that she will be unbelievably good at the job part of it as well is obviously a huge relief to me because she'll be able to deal with everything else that comes with it."

While many details of the couple's wedding and future may still be mysterious to the public, they did give a hint during the interview of what's to come in the future. When asked about children, Prince Harry said, "Not currently, no. Of course, one step at a time, and hopefully we'll start a family in the near future."

Royal weddings feel like the event of the decade, and that was certainly the case for Prince Harry. His wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 was a ceremony for the ages, with horses and carriages and tiaras all around. As noted by CNN, the wedding was a mix of "British pageantry" with a bit of a modern flare, perhaps a subtle nod to the progressive nature of Harry and Meghan's marriage (Meghan is American, a woman of color, and had previously been married — barrier breaking in the royal family). 

The wedding took place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and featured the stunning aspects that you'd expect a royal wedding to have. Meghan looked radiant in her gown, Harry looked very dapper in his formal military attire, and the ceremony itself was attended by royals and public figures. After the ceremony, Harry and Meghan rode in a horse-drawn carriage throughout the streets of Windsor, greeting the crowds as they did so.

The wedding was followed by two receptions, one hosted by Queen Elizabeth and the other hosted by King Charles. Talk about a modern fairytale.

Bad blood between brothers is never good, and a public feud reportedly pitted Prince Harry and Prince William against each other. The two brothers had transformed from young children into senior royals, but it was Meghan Markle's presence in Harry's life that sparked tensions between them. Robert Lacey, the historian who wrote the book Battle of Brothers (all about William and Harry's feud), told Elle that things got so bad between the two that they couldn't even be in the same room together. 

Friends of William's suggested to Lacey that he was "so furious with Harry that he couldn't trust himself to sit at [the] same table [as him]." It was a new type of "depth" to anger that neither brother had experienced before. So what was the problem? According to Lacey, William may have thought that Harry was moving too fast with Meghan, that she was too much of an outsider to ever fit in the royal family, and that a self-made woman would not conform to the royal lifestyle. Harry, on the other hand, was ready to do anything for love. 

"His parents were locked into an arranged, loveless marriage, and he's not going to make that mistake," Lacey said. "He's going to go for love, and that's what he's done with Meghan, unapologetically."

For those of you who aren't aware, royal babies are a big deal. There's press attention and official announcements and a whole slew of celebrations to welcome the newest member of the royals, and it seemed like everyone was holding their breath when Prince Harry became a dad. After all, he had been known as the fun uncle for years, and it was a surprise to just about everyone that he was finally settling down as a family man. 

As noted by USA Today, Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their son, Archie, on May 6, 2019, after Meghan had surpassed her due date. But despite their sweet baby refusing to come out on time, the birth was safe and successful, and Archie arrived into the world at 5:26 in the morning. Unlike Prince William and Princess Catherine's children, who were born in the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's hospital (where Catherine has posed after giving birth), Harry and Meghan opted for London's Portland Hospital, which just so happens to be American-owned (a nod to Meghan's home country, perhaps). Harry and Meghan later introduced their baby boy to the public on May 8.

This was the point of transformation that serves as the marker between the old and new Prince Harry. In a statement that shocked just about everyone, Harry announced that he would be stepping back from his duties as a senior royal, along with Meghan Markle. The statement from the couple, released in January 2020, was a huge blow to the royal family and, as noted by BBC News, neither Queen Elizabeth or Prince William were notified before the announcement was made. 

The statement revealed that Harry and Meghan had been discussing stepping away from their roles as senior royals for a long time and had come to their decision "after many months of reflection and internal discussions." 

"We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent," their statement read, "while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen." William was reportedly "disappointed" that he had not been alerted to the statement before it was released, and other senior royals were described as "hurt" by the decision.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lost a lot when they stepped down as senior royals. While they are still officially members of the royal family, they're no longer working royals, which means Harry is no longer known as his royal highness, while Meghan can no longer go by her royal highness. Buckingham Palace made a statement to the public in January 2020, revealing, "The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family" (via BBC). 

Harry is still a prince by birth, though, which means Meghan is technically a princess by marriage — even without the HRH title. While it's possible the title could be stripped from him, royal experts confirmed to Insider that this is highly unlikely.

Similarly, Harry and Meghan are still the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, respectively — although many think they should not be allowed to hold those titles. As royal expert Hilary Fordwich explained to Fox News, "There has been a petition, a movement from the people of the county of Sussex, they're supposed to represent, to remove them. ... Because they're taking the name but they're not doing anything for the people of Sussex. ... This is not a celebrity role. It is a role of duty. So you need to do your duty, and then hold the title."

In another transformative act, Prince Harry redefined his relationship with the royal family when he moved from the United Kingdom to the United States — quite the monumental decision for a country's royal. As noted by Vogue, Harry and Meghan Markle had moved from Britain to Canada and then ventured from Canada to the United States — Los Angeles, California, to be specific. The pair didn't have any intention on staying in LA, though, and, after a few months, moved to the quiet town of Montecito, about 100 miles north of the bustling city. The two purchased a $14.65 million home with all the bells and whistles: a pool, guest home, tennis court, rose gardens, you name it. 

"Harry loves California, but they were both drawn to the smaller town of Santa Barbara, where they can integrate into the community while having some distance and privacy that is hard to come by in the Los Angeles area," a source with knowledge of Harry and Meghan told Vogue. "For that reason, they had never intended to stay in Los Angeles." And a spokesperson for the pair confirmed the move, saying that their hope was to live a quiet, private life.

The year 2020 was a rough one for all of us given the coronavirus pandemic and stresses about daily life. And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sadly had to overcome another hurdle during the year, the loss of their baby. In an opinion column for The New York Times released in November 2020, Meghan revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage, a devastating blow to any family. But the couple were blessed by their rainbow baby, and in February 2021, they announced that they were expecting a second child. On June 4, 2021, the couple welcomed daughter Lilibet Diana, named after Harry's grandmother and mother (via USA Today).

As noted by BBC News, Harry and Meghan were excited to share the news of the pregnancy and despite any tension, the palace released a statement showing their support. According to the statement, the senior royals were "delighted" about the news and sent their best wishes. Despite Harry and Meghan's departure from royal life, Lilibet is an heir to the British throne, just like her older brother, Archie. 

After Prince William and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals, they got busy planning their own lives and founded their own umbrella organization, Archewell Inc. As of this writing, Archewell consists of the nonprofit Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio, and Archewell Productions. "At Archewell, we unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change," the organization's website states.

Among the many projects falling under the Archewell umbrella are Meghan's podcast, "Archetypes" and the docuseries "Heart of Invictus" — a behind-the-scenes look at competitors' journeys to the Games. "The Invictus Games is a multi-national sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women," the Invictus Games Foundation details. The docuseries is part of Prince Harry's ongoing commitment to the event, in addition to being the patron of the Invictus Games Foundation. 

"As Archewell Productions' first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn't be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service," he said of the docuseries on the Archewell website.

Like much of the world, Prince Harry mourned when his grandparents, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, died within a year and a half of each other. Philip died first, on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99. "Thank you for your service ... You will be greatly missed," read Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Foundation website after his death (via Page Six). Harry also penned a more personal homage to his grandfather. "He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right 'til the end," read the statement in part (via Entertainment Weekly). 

Harry similarly commemorated his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after her death on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. "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," he wrote on the Archewell website (via People). "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."

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry's father became King Charles III. In his first public speech as Britain's monarch, Charles made a point of mentioning his younger son and his wife, saying, "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas" (via Page Six). 

While the statement sounded like confirmation that Meghan and Harry will continue to live their own lives away from the royal family, there has been speculation that Charles may eventually convince them to come back to work — potentially on a part-time basis. "I hope Charles considers bringing them both back into the Firm the way they originally wanted: half in, half out, and earning their own salaries doing their own outside work," royal expert Kristen Meinzer told Newsweek.

Although, as of this writing, no major announcements have been made, royal experts seem to agree that Charles hopes to, at the very least, mend the rift with Harry. As photographer Arthur Edwards, who has worked with the royals, told "Talk TV" (via Express), "I think the King wants his son back."