From rebel to soldier: the story of Prince Harry. Princess Diana's favorite men
A little less than a month ago, on May 19, British women said goodbye to last hope marry a prince - the Queen's grandson Prince Harry, the mischievous reveler who became sixth in line to the royal throne in April, has married. Now he is the respectable and already slightly balding 33-year-old Duke of Sussex, taking part in official events with his wife, Duchess Meghan.
However, he remains the most controversial of the princes - and not only because in his youth he often found himself at the center of scandal. The fact is that
from British fans royal family I'm still not sure that the father youngest son Princess Diana - and they are constantly looking out for someone in the Duke of Sussex's entourage whose fiery hair color will prove that Harry is not at all royal blood.
Stevo Vasiljevic/Reuters Prince Charles
For many years, supporters of the theory that Prince Harry's real father was someone from Princess Diana's entourage were convinced that he was in fact James Hewitt, a cavalry officer who became her riding instructor at her request. As proof, photographs were presented that depicted the handsome red-haired Hewitt: in fact, Harry’s own red hair color and his charm, not inherent in the Windsors, gave reason to think that his father was a cavalryman, not a prince. There were no other reasons for this, although Diana did have a long-term romantic relationship with James Hewitt.
The princess herself said that Diana had an affair with Hewitt for five years when she gave frank interview BBC. At that time, she had already separated from Charles for three years, but the official divorce had not yet been formalized - this happened in 1996. By that time, she had not met the cavalryman for five years.
It is officially believed that Diana met Hewitt in 1986 at a party organized by the wife of one of the senior Palace service employees.
But this is not certain: the English journalist, who now runs the “Royalist” blog on the Daily Beast portal, believes that they could have met before, since James Hewitt served in the palace cavalry and could have caught Diana’s eye more than once. Be that as it may, the affair between the princess and the cavalry officer lasted for five years - and when it became known to the public in 1991, Hewitt went to fight in the Persian Gulf, where military operations were taking place. In 1994, he retired to the reserve.
Reuters James Hewitt, 1995
Princess Diana herself spoke about her relationship with James Hewitt to BBC presenter Martin Bashir: “Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very disappointed." She was also disappointed in her marriage - it was in the late 80s that the affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, his old friend and current wife, became known. And in general, Diana had a hard time in the palace - she was not ready to put up with the strict requirements of palace protocol. Earlier, in 1994, the first book about her personal life was published - it was “The Princess in Love” by Anna Pasternak.
In it, the writer, in particular, talked about how Hewitt spent a lot of time with William and Harry - reading them fairy tales before bed and having pillow fights.
James Hewitt was in many ways a father figure for Harry, but he wasn't really one - when he started dating Diana in 1986, Harry was already two years old. Hewitt himself categorically denied it every time he was asked about paternity. In 2003, a genetic test was even carried out using the prince's hair, and it did not show that his true father was not Charles - at least this was not reported.
And yet, those who were close to Princess Diana still have to deny Hewitt’s paternity. In February 2018, these rumors surfaced in Once again, when Lady Di's former butler Paul Burrell, who worked with her from 1987 to 1997, was forced to once again remind fans of the false paternity theory of Prince Charles that James Hewitt physically cannot be Harry's parent. In an interview with Australian television on I"m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! (“I’m a celebrity... Let me go!”), answering the question of whether he believes that Charles is Harry’s father, Paul Burrell said: "Yes. Absolutely." He then said that when Harry was born, Diana did not know James Hewitt. "That's a fact," he added.
Reuters Mark Dyer at the wedding of Prince Harry and Mega Markle, May 19, 2018
James Hewitt, however, is not the only “contender” for paternity - they recently found a new father, of course, red-haired. Edition The National The Enquirer reported in early March, citing a source, that the man was Mark Dyer, an officer in the Welsh Guards regiment. The authors of the sensational discovery cited as proof of their theory the fact that the 51-year-old officer was invited as a guest of honor at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The publication said that Mark was close to the prince throughout his life: “After Diana’s death, he was raised not by Charles, but by Mark,” the source said. Moreover, according to him, it was Mark who was the first person with whom Harry introduced his beloved Meghan Markle.
What do we know about Prince Harry? Prince's youngest son Welsh Charles and his first wife, the late Princess Diana, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and brother of Prince William. Harry is young, rich and famous, but he is famous not only because of his origin, he is also famous for his active charitable activities. Today you will learn 15 interesting and little known facts about the Prince of Wales.
Harry hates Twitter
Prince Harry has repeatedly stated that he hates Twitter and other social networks for their invasion of privacy. Still, the prince was forced to write his first tweet, not for fun, but in support of the Invictus Games sports event, organized for disabled soldiers.
The prince has a nickname
In his service, Harry is called "Captain of Wales". The red-haired prince has been serving in the army for more than 10 years under the name Harry of Wales.
He was at the South Pole
In 2013, Prince Harry became the first member of the British royal family to attend South Pole. Despite the difficult weather, Harry covered 15-20 kilometers every day. The purpose of the expedition, which was organized charities, was to attract public attention to the problems of military veterans and raise funds to help them.
Harry loves children
Prince founded charitable organization Sentebale, which works on children with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho. While 31-year-old Harry does not have children of his own, he spends a lot of time with his nephew George and niece Charlotte.
Dad still gives Harry money
Charles, Prince of Wales, still transfers money into his son's account every month. And Harry not only spends this money on himself, he also donates hundreds of thousands of pounds to charities. And the prince himself makes good money in the British army. And according to Diana's will, Harry received $450 thousand annually from the ages of 21 to 29.
Real military man
Harry successfully completed a 44-week training course and was sent to the Royal Horse Guards with the rank of second lieutenant. He has several medals, including for his participation in the military campaign in Afghanistan, where he was regularly involved in combat operations.
Talented broker
In 2011, at the annual charity auction in the London office of the brokerage firm BGC Partners, Harry set a world record by completing a deal worth 18 billion euros between the British bank Barclays and a European partner. The action was timed to coincide with the tragedy of September 11, 2001, in which 658 company employees died. The proceeds were transferred to various children's centers and relief funds.
Harry grew up in the shadow of his older brother
Until he was 17, Harry lived quietly own life while the paparazzi were hunting for his brother. And then he somehow suddenly turned into an attractive young man, a heartthrob and the most eligible bachelor on the planet.
Personal coat of arms
One of the main gifts that Prince Harry received for his 18th birthday was his personal coat of arms. The design of the coat of arms was personally approved by Elizabeth II. The emblem includes elements from the family coat of arms of the House of Spencer, to which Harry's mother, Princess Diana, once belonged. The coat of arms features a lion, unicorn, shield and crown.
Role in Invictus Games
The Invictus Games or “Games of the Invictus” are competitions for disabled veterans of the British and allied armies. The idea of these games belonged to Prince Harry, and he managed to implement his idea in just 10 months! This year the games were held in Orlando, USA, and in 2017 they will be held in Toronto, Canada.
Handyman
Prince Harry truly is a jack of all trades. During a visit to Chile, he visited a local woman and saw that the TV was noisy. The Briton examined the device and began to tinker with the cable, after which, according to the owner, the TV began to work better. He also personally helped build a school in Lesotho.
Avid traveler
Harry lived in Australia for a year, where he worked on a ranch. He then went to Lesotho, Africa, where he worked in an orphanage. Personally to them and younger brother King Letsie of Lesotho III Prince Seeiso founded a charitable organization in 2006 to help children and adolescents of the country. A little later, the prince was admitted to the Royal military academy at Sandhurst, after which he went to Afghanistan.
What did Diana name her son?
Princess Diana called her youngest son “my little Spencer” because Harry’s hair color matched her relatives. Harry really has a lot in common with his mother: a similar sense of humor, modesty and kindness, a desire to help people.
Show “I want to marry Harry”
In 2014, the reality show “I Want to Marry Harry” was released on the FOX channel. The organizers gathered 12 young American women at an estate located in Berkshire in the south of England, and presented them with the main “prize” - a handsome, handsome red-haired man. The girls did not know until the end of the project that in front of them was only an actor who looked like the Prince of Wales.
He inherited a large fortune
When Prince Harry turned 30, he received a £10 million inheritance from his late mother, Princess Diana. Prince William received the same amount on his 30th birthday. But Harry's inheritance is larger than William's because of bank interest, which have accumulated over two years. Princess Diana's $40 million inheritance included stocks, bonds, jewelry, savings, dresses and other personal items.“Don’t believe in the transmigration of souls after this,” said Sherlock Holmes, looking at the old portrait of Hugo Baskerville. Both of our heroes, fortunately, are alive and well, but it’s impossible not to believe in their blood relationship after these photos.
Rumors that Prince Harry may not be the son of Charles of Wales appeared long before Princess Diana's death in a car accident. Like, young prince- the fruit of the forbidden love of the unfortunate woman and riding instructor, James Hewitt (read: Princess Diana's favorite men). To the latter’s credit, he categorically denies this version. As “proof,” supporters of this piquant version offered to compare Harry with other members of the royal family. Like, no resemblance. And in vain. Rare shot young prince Philip, the husband of Elizabeth II, published back in the last century in the French media, proves more eloquently than any DNA tests that Harry is the true heir to the Windsor-Mountbatten family. And with age, this similarity only intensifies.
A rare photograph of the 36-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was printed on the cover of the French Paris Match, published back in 1957. We are used to seeing the husband of Elizabeth II clean-shaven, but there was a time when Philip Mountbatten wore a neat red beard and mustache. Almost like his grandson Harry has been doing for the last few years. It is noteworthy that, according to rumors, Elizabeth more than once reproached her grandson for excess facial hair. But Harry has a certain influence over his grandmother (as many sources close to the family say), so it seems that she gave in. I wonder if it was Elizabeth who contributed to the fact that Philip himself finally gave up his beard, despite the fact that it suited him very well?
A new wave of comparisons between the grandson and grandfather arose during the royal tour of the Sussexes to Australia. The fact is that at one of the official events in Sydney, Prince Harry wore the white uniform of the Royal Horse Guards, the same (with the exception of some insignia relating to rank) that Prince Philip was photographed wearing on that same cover. Well, at least there are fewer and fewer people willing to question Harry's origins. That, however, did not stop jokers from tweeting congratulations to James Hewitt after Meghan Markle’s pregnancy announcement on becoming a grandfather.
The youngest son of Prince Charles of Wales and Princess Diana was born on September 15, 1984 at St. Mary's Hospital in London - a week earlier than planned. According to media reports, the birth lasted nine hours. The boy, weighing 3.1 kilograms, was named Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor. The shortened version of "Harry" was considered family name, but soon began to be used in official sources.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Princess Diana later admitted that her husband had always wanted a girl and could not contain his disappointment when she gave birth to another prince: "The first thing he said was: 'Oh my God, it's a boy.' Second: “And he even has red hair,” the princess recalled (her words are quoted in the biography by Edrew Morton, released in 1992).
Tim Graham/Getty Images
The birth of Prince Harry generated even more interest than Princess Diana's first birth, despite the fact that Harry was only the third heir to the throne at the time (he is currently the sixth in line to the crown). This was largely due to the growing popularity of Princess Diana, who from a modest aristocrat Spencer turned into the darling of Great Britain, eclipsing even Queen Elizabeth II.
Pictured: One-year-old Harry in the playroom at Kensington Palace, October 1985.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Grandma's favorite
Prince William, as the future head of the royal family, always had more responsibility - therefore, his relationship with his grandmother was more serious. It was even rumored that the queen showed more love and care to her youngest grandson. This topic began to be discussed especially actively in 2017, when the media discovered a portrait of Meghan Markle in the office of Elizabeth II - along with photographs of members of the royal family.
Ken Lennox/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Young diplomat
Princess Diana described her son as "very artistic and athletic." IN early years The prince showed interest in horse riding and hunting. On weekends, the royal family often went from Kensington Palace to Highgrove House, the residence of Prince Charles of Wales in Gloucestershire.
Harry often accompanied his mother to various official events and dinners.
In the photo: the young prince greets the performers of Cirque Du Soleil in August 1990.
News Group Newspapers Ltd / Legion Media
Interest in military service
Prince Harry attended the same educational establishments that Prince William is from London kindergarten Jane Minors primary school Wetherby in London and Ludgrove School in Berkshire. During his studies he showed an interest in military affairs, which he retained after entering Eton College.
In the photo: the 9-year-old prince rides light tank while visiting the barracks of the British Army Cavalry Regiment in Hanover, Germany.
David Levenson/Getty Images
Harry was 12 years old when his mother died in a car accident. He and his brother Prince William took part in the mournful procession - the young heirs to the British crown had to experience their grief in front of the whole country. The participation of the princes in the funeral ceremony was criticized by Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, who called the decision of the royal family "inappropriate and cruel." Harry himself at first said that such actions should not be demanded of any child under any circumstances, but later changed his position and said that it was a joint and necessary choice, and now, looking back, he is glad that he did so then.
In the photo: Prince Philip, William, Earl Charles Spencer, Princes Harry and Charles.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Studying at Eton
Like his older brother, Harry entered Eton College (in 1998). There he played on the rugby, cricket and polo teams. Voluntarily joined the United Cadet Corps, passed military training, in May 2003 received the rank of officer cadet. The prince graduated from Eton College with modest results.
Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images
Graduate
During his time at Eton, Prince Harry earned a reputation as the most rowdy member of the royal family. In 2002, he admitted to his father that he used marijuana. Prince Charles then decided to send his 17-year-old son to Featherstone Lodge for a day so he could learn about the consequences of drug use from people with real addictions.
Pictured: Prince Harry in his halls of residence at Eton College shortly before graduating, 2003.
POOL/Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images
In mother's footsteps
After college, Prince Harry took a gap year, which he spent doing charity work abroad. He continued his mother's campaign against landmines and became a trustee of the HALO Trust, which clears mines and unexploded ordnance that pose a danger to civilians. In 2006, the prince went to Lesotho, where, in particular, he worked in a shelter for orphans whose parents died of AIDS. In the South African kingdom, Harry, together with the Prince of Lesotho, founded the Sentebale charity organization to help these children.
Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
Tabloid hero
In 2005, 20-year-old Harry appeared at a costume party wearing clothes imitating the uniform of African military units of the Third Reich. This caused violent indignation among anti-fascist and Jewish organizations. The prince had to explain himself: in his statement, he admitted that it was a “rash choice” and that he regrets what happened.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Pride of Windsor
In May 2005, Prince Harry began his studies at Sandhurst Military Academy in Surrey, and a year later he was commissioned as a cornet in the Blues and Royals of the Royal Horse Guards and sent to serve in Windsor.
In the photo: Elizabeth II receives a parade of the Royal Horse Guards.
John Stillwell / POOL /Anwar Hussein Collection / WireImage / Getty Images
Military service
At the beginning of 2007, Prince Harry was preparing to serve in Iraq, but due to information about a possible assassination attempt and threats received, the leadership of the British armed forces decided not to send him there. The prince was very upset by the actions of his superiors and threatened to leave military service. As a result, he was nevertheless sent to hot spot— to Afghanistan, where he secretly served as an aircraft gunner. However, the media found out about his whereabouts, after which the prince had to be returned to the UK for safety reasons.
In 2008-2009, Harry took military helicopter piloting courses and passed the military helicopter pilot exam. In 2011, he completed a 10-month elite pilot training course combat helicopter Apache and was soon promoted to captain air force Great Britain, which allowed him to return to Afghanistan. It is known that during his second service, the prince destroyed one of the Taliban field commanders. Harry became the first member of the royal family since his uncle, the Duke. York Andrew, who took a direct part in the fighting (the Duke participated in the Falklands War with Argentina in 1982).
CARL DE SOUZA / POOL / AFP / East News
Party Lover
In 2012, Prince Harry again found himself on the pages of the tabloids. While on vacation in Las Vegas, he staged a strip game and nude photographs of him were leaked to the press. The British royal house released a statement saying the prince was on a private trip and resting before returning to military duty.
Pictured: Prince Harry with Kanye West and P Diddy during a music festival in memory of Princess Diana in 2007.
Paul Thomas/Getty Images
Invictus Games
At the end of his military career, Prince Harry announced the start of the Invictus Games sports competitions for former and active military personnel who have become disabled. Men compete annually in basketball, volleyball, rugby and indoor rowing.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
During a trip to Washington in 2015, Prince Harry met Barack Obama, which developed into a friendship (two years later, Harry interviewed Obama for a BBC Radio 4 broadcast). American President helped British prince“promote” the next Invictus Games, which were supposed to take place in May 2016 in Orlando (Florida).
For this, Obama and his wife Michelle
Once the most eligible bachelor Britannia, heir royal title Prince Harry, it would seem, is the embodiment of the dreams of all girls in the world. He is very attractive, athletic, brave, tall, incredibly red hair and a wide snow-white smile. Well, the charm of the youngest child in the family, the most spoiled of all, always gave his image a certain playfulness and attractiveness.
But the coin has two sides; Prince Harry managed to mess things up during his turbulent youth, becoming a participant and initiator of several serious scandals. And for a long time he didn’t have a good time in love - his beloved girls ran away, unable to withstand the onslaught of demands on a potential life partner crown prince. Will the prince's new relationship with a little-known woman in Britain turn into American actress into something serious, or everything will remain the whirlwind romance of 2016 - that’s what people around the world are gossiping about.
Harry is the fifth heir to the throne, the second son of the royal family. Harry's mom and dad, Prince Charles, doted on their youngest, mischievous son. As a child, Harry was naughty but charming. Like his older brother, Harry received individual education, but went to a London school with ordinary children of non-royal blood.
It was a real royal ceremony, which was watched all over the world, so the entire process and actions of the participants were clearly calculated and distributed in minutes. Chelsea could not withstand such intense pressure, although she carried herself with dignity. After the wedding, she admitted that she was not ready to live her whole life under such close attention, so she fled from England to Africa to live with her father and broke off her relationship with Harry.
Poor Harry had no choice but to accept the girl’s decision - he himself could not follow her to the other side of the world, abandoning the responsibility and obligations imposed on him by his origin.
After Chelsea, the prince had a long downtime on the love front; he could not find a worthy chosen one. He had models, aristocrats, and singers. At one moment he fell in love - the object of his adoration became famous actress. The girl was flattered by the attention shown by the prince, but their fleeting romance did not lead to anything serious.
In 2016, Harry begins a relationship with an American actress who stars in popular television series. They kept their budding relationship a secret for a long time; the affair became officially known only in the fall of 2016. At the end of the year, journalists finally captured the couple together - photos of Meghan and Harry walking hand in hand through central London spread all over the world.
According to representatives of the couple, they highly value the opportunity to lead their personal life in a private, almost secret manner, but they do not want to hide from the press and are not at all opposed to sometimes appearing together in public. Needless to say, the whole world is watching this royal romance.
At the beginning of 2017, rumors appeared that things were very serious with the couple. It is quite possible that the dream of millions of girls will soon change their bachelor status and get married. Harry has already begun to introduce Meghan to family members, the first being his brother’s wife Kate - she is very close to Harry, and he often listens to her opinion. The Duchess liked Meghan and the meeting was cordial.
Of course, the most difficult thing for Markle is still ahead - Harry’s grandmother, the current Queen of Britain, judging by rumors, is not very happy with the choice youngest grandson. She still believes that for the sake of the crown, all heirs of the royal family should marry their own kind, and not according to the call of their hearts. But times are changing, and a new generation of British heirs to the throne are ready to do anything to marry for love.
Prince Harry now
Many people remember that Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged in secret from the public. Harry and Meghan still turned out to be less secretive. On November 27 it became known that.
On May 19, 2018 it took place. The ceremony was attended by members of the royal family, famous personalities And ordinary people. Prince Charles himself led Markle to the altar, since the girl’s father could not come.
Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan MarkleIn October 2018 it became known that. Prince Harry's first child will arrive in the spring of 2019.