Timeline of Prince Harry’s life as he celebrates his 40th birthday today

Happy Birthday to Prince Harry arsenic helium turns 40 years aged today.

Prince Harry will beryllium celebrating his time by jetting disconnected for a ‘lads holiday’ with this closest friends. Meanwhile, Meghan is expected to enactment astatine home California with their children, five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet.

The royal has lived rather the beingness aft being calved into 1 of the world’s astir celebrated families.

From his rebellious antics arsenic a teen and his work successful the Army , to moving to the US and starting a family, determination person been galore ups and downs.

Let’s instrumentality a look backmost astatine each the cardinal moments.

1984: Prince Harry is calved successful St Mary’s Hospital

Henry Charles Albert David was calved successful the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital successful Paddington, London, connected 15 September, 1984.

Harry was baptised connected Friday 21 December astatine St George’s Chapel, where, thirty-three years later, helium went connected to wed Meghan Markle.

He is the 2nd kid of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Growing up, his household referred to him arsenic Harry – a nickname that stuck.

1989: He looks adorable connected his archetypal time of school

Pictures amusement the young prince regard up astatine his older member astatine his archetypal time astatine schoolhouse successful 1989.

Although helium went onto beryllium known for roguish behaviour, Harry was initially described arsenic a quiescent kid who was ‘happy successful his ain world’, opposed to his member William who was reportedly nicknamed ‘Basher’.

After attending Mrs. Mynors’s Nursery School, Harry headed to Wetherby School in London earlier going to Ludgrove School successful Berkshire and yet enrolling astatine Eton College.

1993 – 1994: Charity work, taxable parks and McDonald’s trips

Diana is said to person tried to marque definite her sons had arsenic mean a beingness arsenic imaginable extracurricular the palace walls.

This included fast-food runs to McDonald’s connected Saturday nights and amusement parkland and formation trips.

They enjoyed a time retired to Thorpe Park connected 13 April 1993 and determination was nary peculiar attraction for the royals – Diana had insisted they queued for each of the rides, conscionable similar each of the different thrill-seekers.

The determination that possibly shaped her sons the astir was the visits she utilized to instrumentality them connected to stateless shelters and different charities.

1997: Loss of his mother

When Prince Harry turned 12, helium faced the hardest clip of his life.

One twelvemonth aft his parents divorcement successful 1996, Harry’s mum Diana died successful a car clang successful Paris.

The horrific mishap happened conscionable 2 weeks earlier Harry’s 13th birthday. He and William had been successful the Royal Family’s Scottish vacation location Balmoral with their begetter and cousins astatine the time.

Harry aboriginal spoke of his symptom portion walking down her coffin successful the ceremonial procession.

‘It was similar I was extracurricular of my assemblage and conscionable walking on doing what was expected of me’, helium said connected intelligence wellness bid The Me You Can’t See.

‘[I was] showing 1 tenth of the emotion that everybody other was showing: This was my mum – you ne'er adjacent met her.’

1998: Attending Eton College

Following successful his older brother’s footsteps, Harry started Eton College successful 1998.

It’s believed helium wasn’t considered peculiarly academically beardown but inactive gained 11 GCSEs and two A-Levels.

He was ‘a apical tier athlete’, playing competitory polo and rugby, and was made a cadet serviceman successful the Combined Cadet Force.

2008: Exploring the satellite connected his spread year

After deciding against university, Harry explored the satellite connected his spread year.

He spent clip successful Australia moving arsenic a jackaroo connected a cattle presumption earlier heading to Southern Africa to enactment with orphaned children.

In his precocious teenage years and aboriginal 20s, Harry developed a rebellious estimation and was often seen drinking and smoking – gaining him the statement of ‘wild child’ successful the British press.

One of the biggest scandals saw him deterioration a swastika armband to a friend’s fancy formal party, which helium aboriginal apologised for.

2005 – 2015: Serving successful the service and Afghanistan

Harry served successful the Army for 10 years, rising to the fertile of Captain and undertaking 2 tours of Afghanistan.

Describing it arsenic ‘the happiest times successful my life’, helium said: ‘I got to deterioration the aforesaid azygous arsenic everybody else.

‘I had to bash each the aforesaid grooming arsenic everybody else. I started from the bottommost similar everybody else.’

He continues to enactment successful enactment of his chap servicemen and founded the Invictus Games successful 2014.

A moving antheral

Alongside his Royal duties, helium founded the Invictus Games for sick and wounded subject personnel, successful 2014.

It was announced successful June 2015 that Harry was leaving the Armed Forces.

Throughout this year, Harry continued his enactment started with the Invictus Games by visiting assorted wounded work unit up and down the country.

2016: Meeting Meghan

Harry met Meghan Markle aft being set up connected a unsighted day by a communal person successful London successful July 2016. 

In the couple’s engagement interrogation with the BBC, the Duke of Sussex said helium fell successful emotion with the Suits histrion ‘so incredibly quickly’ and that it felt similar the ‘stars were aligned’ for their relationship.

But the brace struggled with property attraction and successful November 2016, Harry released a connection slamming ‘a question of maltreatment and harassment that had radical and sexist undertones’.

2018: A royal wedding

Harry and Meghan joined connected May 19, 2018 successful St George’s Chapel astatine Windsor Castle. 

Six 100 guests – including Serena Williams and George Clooney – watched them marque their vows.

On the aforesaid day, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex connected her grandson and his caller wife.

2019: Becoming a begetter and welcoming Archie into the world

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 6 May 2019 astatine the Portland Hospital successful London.

He is sixth successful the enactment of succession to the British throne and became a prince upon the accession of his grandfather, King Charles III.

January 2020: Stepping down

In January 2020, the duke and duchess announced that they were stepping backmost from their relation arsenic elder members of the Royal Family.

They settled successful LA successful March aft surviving successful Canada for a fewer weeks.

A twelvemonth later, it was confirmed the determination would beryllium imperishable and each honorary military appointments and royal patronages returned to Her Majesty.

Little was initially known astir the reasons down the determination but Harry aboriginal said helium felt helium had to region his household from the grip of the British press, portion helium felt the steadfast had not offered them capable support.

April 2020: Archewell

In April 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were readying to motorboat a charitable organisation named Archewell.

The non-profit focuses connected planetary issues moving to ‘uplift and unite communities’.

March 2021: Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview

A bombshell interrogation with Oprah Winfrey successful March 2021 saw Harry and Meghan assertion an unnamed subordinate of the Royal Family had raised ‘concerns and conversations astir however acheronian Archie’s tegument mightiness beryllium erstwhile he’s born’.

The duchess revealed she had suicidal thoughts arsenic she struggled with beingness successful the UK, saying: ‘I conscionable didn’t privation to beryllium live anymore.’

Meanwhile, the duke spoke astir his rift with Charles and William and said they were some ‘trapped successful the system’.

The Queen responded saying the household was ‘concerned and saddened’ by the allegations, but added ‘recollections whitethorn vary’.

June 2021: Welcoming his 2nd child

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born successful Santa Barbara, California, connected June 4, 2021.

She was named aft the Queen, who was nicknamed Lilibet arsenic a child, and became a princess upon Her Majesty’s passing.

2021-2022: Loss of the Queen and Prince Philip

Harry’s gramps died aged 99 connected April 9, 2021, while his grandma followed a twelvemonth and 5 months later connected September 8, 2022.

Both losses saw the prince reunite with his household successful the UK to wage tribute.

He described Philip arsenic ‘authentically himself with a earnestly crisp wit’, and fondly remembered the monarch’s ‘infectious smile’.

2024: Turbulent times for the royal family

It has been a hard twelvemonth for the royal household with the shocking quality of King Charles’ and Kate Middleton’s crab treatments.

Harry came location to spot his begetter aft the diagnosis was made nationalist but lone met with his begetter for astir 45 minutes earlier Charles near London – and it’s believed Harry spent the nighttime successful a edifice successful London alternatively than a royal residence.

The Princess of Wales besides took clip to absorption connected her cancer treatment which she made nationalist successful a video connection to the nation.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to person made interaction ‘privately’ with Kate to nonstop her a connection of enactment during this clip with reports successful the US claiming they lone recovered retired erstwhile the remainder of the satellite did.

September 2024: Harry and Meghan merchandise caller pictures for Netflix show

A teaser for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix project has been released aft the mates confirmed they are moving connected two caller projects with the streaming elephantine successful April.

Netflix had antecedently said Meghan would big a cooking amusement and the different merchandise is adocuseries astir the satellite of nonrecreational polo, which volition premiere successful December.

What does Harry’s aboriginal hold?

While his future with the royal family is inactive a mystery, Harry is acceptable to proceed with his foundation work.

In a connection released up of the birthday, Harry spoke of the important relation his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, played successful his life.

‘I was anxious astir 30, I’m excited astir 40,’ helium said.

Get successful interaction with our quality squad by emailing america astatine [email protected].

For much stories similar this, check our quality page.

MORE : Soldier who led army’s celebrated wolfhound Seamus ‘sacked for taking cocaine’

MORE : Royal adept says Prince William WON’T sojourn Harry for his 40th birthday, arsenic clip volition beryllium play of ‘reflection connected what could person been’

MORE : How a teen tried shooting the Queen during her day parade

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.