Prince Harry turns 40: Duke of Sussex’s life in 40 pictures

Prince Harry has turned 40 – spending his birthday in his new California home, where he lives with his wife Meghan and his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

This is a look at his life – from newborn baby to cheeky toddler, from teenager to man.

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

His parents divorced in 1996 – and Harry’s life changed forever when Lady Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Harry, then aged 12, and William walked behind her coffin as it proceeded through the streets from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Harry later said no child “should be asked to do” what they did.

After the death of Diana, Harry became even closer to William.

Harry said of William when he turned 21: “Ever since our mother died, obviously we were close, but he is the one person on this earth who I can actually really… we can talk about anything.”

The Duke of Sussex spent 10 years in the army, including two frontline tours to Afghanistan, and is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which supports veterans’ recovery through sports competitions.

He undertook public duties during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, including travelling to Belize, Bahamas and Jamaica.

Harry started dating Meghan Markle after a blind date in 2016. They first appeared in public together at the Invictus Games in Toronto in September 2017.

Prince Harry said he knew Meghan was “the one” when they announced their engagement two months later.

Millions watched when Harry and his bride tied the knot in a fairy-tale wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

And it was smiles all around when the Royal Family gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony that summer.

Months later, the Sussexes headed to Australia for their first tour as a married couple – and Meghan revealed she was pregnant.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born in May 2019.

In 2020, the Sussexes took Archie to Africa for their first royal tour as a family of three.

But shortly thereafter, Harry dropped a bombshell statement: The Sussexes quit as “senior royals” and wanted to be “financially independent”.

The family moved to California – and gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan famously said “concerns” had been raised about baby Archie’s skin colour before he was born and she had suicidal thoughts during her time in the Royal Family.

Their second child, Princess Lilibet, was born in 2021.

That same year, Harry and William unveiled a statue dedicated to their mother Lady Diana. The brothers released a joint statement to honour their mother’s memory, but the rift between them remained.

Harry came back to the country for the funeral of Prince Philip in 2021.

According to Harry, following their grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in September 2021, Charles had asked the brothers: “Please, boys – don’t make my final years a misery.”

But those who hoped for reconciliation were disappointed.

The “Fab Four”, as they were once known, were briefly reunited when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.

At the Coronation of his father, he took a back seat, and flew back quickly after the ceremony.

Harry published his best-selling memoir Spare. There has also been a Netflix documentary looking at the Sussexes’ life.