Death of Lady Di, settling of scores, Netflix: Harry in 10 dates

Here are ten notable periods in the life of Prince Harry, who is due to return to the United Kingdom at the end of August, six years after his break with the royal family.

The prince was born on September 15, 1984 in London, two years after his brother William. The newborn, son of Charles and Diana, is then third in the order of succession to the throne, after Charles and William.

Diana’s death in a car accident in Paris turns the young prince’s life upside down. Harry, 12, walks behind his mother’s coffin, head bowed.

He admitted to having gone through a period of “total chaos” after this death, and retained a hostility towards the media, which he attacked several times in court. Last July, he lost his latest trial for invasion of privacy.

During his younger years, Harry frequented London’s posh nightclubs, consuming alcohol and cannabis. The British did not seem shocked – until the publication, on January 13, 2005, of photos showing him in a Nazi uniform during a costume party, which caused a scandal. Harry apologizes.

After canceling a deployment to Iraq, Second Lieutenant Harry was sent to Afghanistan in December. He patrolled there on foot, attacked front-line positions with machine guns, and returned after 10 weeks, foreign media having revealed his presence.

He will return there in September 2008 for 20 weeks as a helicopter pilot.

The prince creates an event for wounded soldiers inspired by the Paralympic Games, the Invictus Games. The first competition was organized in September 2014 in London, bringing together 416 soldiers from 13 countries. The next edition is scheduled for July 2027 in Birmingham.

In early 2016, Harry met Meghan Markle, a divorced American actress. They became engaged a year later, and married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. They settled in a cottage in Kensington Palace, where his brother William lived, with his wife Kate and their children.

After discussing tensions with the royal family in 2019, Harry and Meghan announced on Instagram that they wanted to give up most of their royal obligations, share their time between the United Kingdom and North America and become financially independent.

The queen refuses.

In March, they made their last appearance with the royal family. They lose the police protection and public funding they enjoyed as members of the royal family.

They moved to Canada, then bought a house in Montecito, California. They sign multi-year deals with Netflix and Spotify for millions of dollars.

In March 2021, in an interview with American star presenter Oprah Winfrey, Meghan confided having thought about suicide after joining the royal family. The couple also insinuates that there is racism within the royal family.

When the queen died in September 2022, William, his wife Catherine, Harry and Meghan tried to show their unity by going together to meet the public in Windsor. But the two couples barely speak to each other.

Three months later, in a Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan”, the couple still criticizes the royal family, Harry criticizing them in particular for not having protected Meghan.

In January 2023, Harry published his memoirs, “The Substitute”, where he settles scores with his brother William, criticizes his sister-in-law Kate and his mother-in-law Camilla.

A few months later, in May, he made a brief visit for his father’s coronation, and immediately returned to the United States.

Charles announced in February 2024 that he was suffering from cancer. Harry immediately crosses the Atlantic to see him.

In May 2025, Harry confided to the BBC his desire for “reconciliation” with his family.

In July 2026, Harry, Meghan and their children visit Charles and Camilla in London, a first in four years.

British media announce that the whole family plans to return to the United Kingdom, near London, by the end of August.