Facts about Prince Harry you probably didn’t know

BRITAIN magazine
The Princess of Wales carries baby Prince Harry as the Royal Family set sail for the Western Isles. Credit: Press Association

The youngest son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry is fifth in line to the throne. Here are some facts about you probably didn’t know

BRITAIN magazine
The Princess of Wales carries baby Prince Harry as the Royal Family set sail for the Western Isles. Credit: Press Association

1. Prince Harry was born on 15 September 1984 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

2. He was christened on 21 December 1984 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie.

3. He is the second son of King Charles III and Diana, the late Princess of Wales.

4. Although he is known as Harry, his full name is Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, so he is officially Prince Henry of Wales. It has been rumoured that he also goes by the nickname of Spike Wells with friends and his Scotland Yard protection officers. His official surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

5. His first overseas trip was to Italy with his parents in May 1985 when he was just eight months old.

6. In 1997 he travelled to South Africa with his father where he met Nelson Mandela and watched the Spice Girls perform.

Prince Harry arriving for a school carol concert at St Matthew's church, London in 1999. Photo credit: Martin Keene/PA Wire
Prince Harry arriving for a school carol concert at St Matthew’s church, London, in 1999. Photo credit: Martin Keene/PA Wire

7. Prince Harry attended Mrs Mynors School, then Wetherby School in London before joining his older brother at Ludgrove School in Berkshire before going to Eton College where he left with a B in Art and a D in Geography.

8. After leaving school, he spent his gap year in Australia, Argentina and Africa, working with a number of different charities.

9. In 2006, Prince Harry set up his own charity called Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in Africa. The charity helps vulnerable children in Lesotho – one of the places he spent time on his gap year.

10. When he turned 18 in 2002 the Queen Elizabeth II gave him his own Coat of Arms. He was involved in designing the crest which incorporates an emblem from his mother’s family arms.

BRITAIN magazine
Prince Harry taking the salute during the Step Short commemorative event in Folkestone, Kent, for the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Photo credit: Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA Wire

12. After his gap year he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which prepared him for his military career.

13. His military name was Captain Harry Wales.

14. Harry enjoyed a full-time role in the military for a decade, which included undertaking two operational tours of Afghanistan.

15. He was the first member of the royal family to be in combat during his time in Afghanistan since his uncle, Prince Andrew, flew helicopters in the Falklands War in 1982.

16. He supports the English football team Arsenal.

18. In 2011 Prince Harry trekked to the North Pole to raise awareness for wounded servicemen and women with the Walking with the Wounded charity.

19. Prince Harry was ‘best man’ to his elder brother Prince William at his marriage to Catherine Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

20. Prince Harry rather endearingly admitted to pre-wedding jitters before his brother tied the knot. He said he was “just as nervous as William”.

22. Prince Harry has a loyal group of female fans who are referred to as ‘Harry Hunters’.

23. In 2014 a reality TV show in America called ‘I Wanna Marry Harry’ aired in which singletons vied for the attention of a Prince Harry lookalike.

26. Prince Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne, since the birth of Prince Louis.

27. Prince Harry played the tambourine in the official song for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

28. Harry went on his first solo royal tour in the lead up to the Diamond Jubilee where he visited Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica.

29. In recognition of his time in the armed forces, Harry organised and promoted the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veteran.

The Queen at Balmoral: Her Highland haven

King Charles III’s homes: Royal residences

London 2023 is out now!