Prince Harry of Wales
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Henry Charles Albert David
His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales (Henry Charles Albert David Mountbatten-Windsor) (born September 15, 1984), nicknamed Prince Harry, is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. Harry is third in the line of succession to the British throne (behind his father, the Prince of Wales, and his elder brother, Prince William), and has generally been regarded as a carefree, fun-loving, and rebellious member of the Royal Family. The Prince has also become well known as a magnet for controversy and gaffe-plagued actions.
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Birth
Template:British Royal Family Harry was born on September 15, 1984 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in central London. He was christened on December 21 1984 at St. George's Chapel Windsor. His father is His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His mother is the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the former wife of the Prince of Wales, who died in 1997. He has an elder brother, HRH Prince William. He is styled His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales.
The prince's official surname is Windsor, according to legal documentation, but all the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II utilize the surname Mountbatten-Windsor as personal preference.
Charles is said to have wanted a daughter, and to have been deeply disappointed when the baby was a boy; worse, according to Diana's version of events, Harry, Charles ruefully noted, had "ruddy hair", a Spencer family trait. Biographers agree that their marriage was already troubled before then, and became irreparably broken shortly afterwards. Some people claim that Harry is physically dissimilar to other royals and believe his real father to be Diana's lover James Hewitt, who has red hair; though Hewitt's affair with Diana may not have begun until well after Harry was born.
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
The princes not only had to endure the pain of their parents' breakup, but the humiliation of having the most intimate details of the marriage splashed in the headlines; Charles's and Diana's public admissions of adultery didn't help. They were divorced in 1996.
On August 31, 1997, Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris, with her partner Dodi Al-Fayed and their driver Henri Paul (although a bodyguard survived, probably because he was the only one in the car wearing a seat belt). Her death came days after she spent a holiday in Southern France with William and Harry. The princes were staying at Balmoral Castle; it was Charles who awoke them and broke the tragic news.
At Diana's celebrity-studded funeral - which was broadcast live throughout the world - the princes, their father, grandfather (Prince Philip), and uncle (the Earl Spencer) walked behind Diana's funeral cortege from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. On Diana's coffin was a card from Harry, made out to Mummy. Cameras were barred from showing the princes during the service itself; Harry reportedly broke down and sobbed several times. Both princes were praised for their strength shown on that day.
Contrary to his eulogy, in which he promised that Diana's "blood family" would take over her less-traditional upbringing of them, the boys have seen little of the Earl Spencer and the other members of Diana's family.
Education
Harry attended the Mrs. Jane Mynors's nursery school in West London, the same as William. He later followed his brother to the pre-prep Wetherby School, and later to Ludgrove School in Berkshire. He later attended the prestigious Eton College in Eton, Berkshire. In June 2003, he finished Eton with two A-levels in Geography and Art.
At school, he developed his love of sport, particularly polo and rugby. He has also participated in the Eton Wall Game.
Career
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After finishing Eton, Harry undertook a gap year, visiting Australia and Africa. In Australia he 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 vacation, but returned amid rumours of drunkenness and a kidnapping attempt. [1] (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/27/nharri27.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/27/ixnewstop.html)
As the second-born son of the Prince of Wales, it is unlikely that Harry will succeed to the throne. Note however that five out of the seven British monarchs since 1830 did not appear likely to succeed to the throne when they were born. While Edward VII and Edward VIII were the eldest son of the monarch, George V and George VI were second-born sons, Elizabeth II was the first daughter of the latter, William IV was a third-born son, and Victoria the daughter of a fourth son. In addition, three of them only found out that they would probably become monarch when they were older than Harry is at time of writing (2005): George VI, George V, and William IV. Going along the traditional notion of having an "heir and a spare", Harry might be viewed as the "spare" in case anything happens to his brother. Charles has stressed upon Harry that, because of his position, he must be of use in his life, and has rejected the boy's "ambition" of becoming a professional polo player.
On May 8 2005, the Prince entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. There he will be known as Officer Cadet Wales instead of using his royal title, and will be part of Alamein Company. [2] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4526077.stm)
Romances
The prince's only serious romance has been with Chelsy Davy (1985-), a Zimbabwe-born heiress to an African ranching and real estate fortune. According to published reports quoting the young woman's uncle Paul Davy, she and the prince discussed marriage in December 2004. This desire, however, resulted in no public announcements of any engagement, formal or informal, and the couple reportedly broke off their relationship in February 2005. Other reports, however, indicate they are still seeing each other.
Controversies
Drug-taking and alleged drinking
Some of Harry's actions have provoked widespread media attention. In January 2002, it was revealed that the prince had admitted smoking marijuana and had allegedly engaged in under-age drinking, raising the possibility that criminal charges would be filed against him in the summer of 2001. A subsequent police investigation cleared Harry of wrongdoing and Harry's father Charles was praised for his handling of the situation, which included taking Harry to visit a drug rehabilitation facility in London. However, the basement of Charles's Highgrove home is rumoured to be a private nightclub nicknamed "Club H", where Harry and his friends can entertain themselves free of observation by the press.
Altercation with paparazzo
On the morning of October 21, 2004, Harry had an altercation with a paparazzo as he left a Piccadilly Circus nightclub. After the story appeared in the tabloids, he issued a statement in which he stated that his behaviour had been "disappointing" and in which he publicly apologised to Charles.
Nazi costume
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Prince Harry responded with a written apology in which he said that he was "very sorry if I have caused offence" for his "poor choice". Prince Charles, who was reportedly "incandescent with rage" over the incident, ordered Harry and his brother William—who was present when Harry chose his outfit—to visit Auschwitz privately, with members of a Jewish charity, to learn about the Holocaust, its causes, and consequences. However, The Times called the apology "feeble" and denounced his involvement with a "dubious group of self-indulgent young men who are apparently content with a life of pointless privilege". The Guardian was even sharper in its condemnation, observing that "Prince Harry seems less interested in preparing for a life of royal service than auditioning for the role of village idiot...", although other printed media and newspapers were more deferential.
Style and arms
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Prince Harry has the title of Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the style His Royal Highness.
On his 18th birthday, his grandmother, Queen 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.
See also
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External links
- About the Prince (http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/princes/harry/harry_index.html) - From Prince of Wales official Site
- Article on the "Nazi Costume" affair (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=765&e=8&u=/nm/britain_royals_dc)-Yahoo News
| Preceded by: HRH Prince William of Wales | Line of Succession to the British throne | Succeeded by: HRH The Duke of York |
fr:Henri de Galles nl:Henry Mountbatten-Windsor no:Henry av Wales pl:Książę_Harry