LONDON – Prince Harry has worked hard to shake off his wildchild image — and his newfound maturity will be tested to the limit when he acts as best man at his brother Prince William’s wedding. After highly-publicised indiscretions, William’s younger brother now takes his responsibilities seriously and became the first royal in more than 25 years to serve in a war zone.
Third in line to the throne, 26-year-old Harry has a difficult path to tread. Though William is on course to become king one day, Prince Charles’ second son has his every move scrutinised nonetheless — and Harry has erred spectacularly. At the age of 17 he admitted having smoked cannabis and was soon a regular fixture at London nightclubs, with alcohol, cigarettes, aristocratic beauties and a scuffle outside with paparazzi the common tale.
His mischievous antics were viewed largely with amused affection until he went to a fancy dress party in 2005 wearing a mock Nazi uniform, triggering horrified front-page headlines worldwide. That incident threatened to stop his entry into the army but he knuckled down to his military duties and served as a front-line officer in Afghanistan for 10 weeks until a media blackout was broken in 2008. Serving in Afghanistan revitalised his reputation, but the following year he was dragged back down when a video he made in 2006 emerged, showed him using the derogatory term “Paki” about a fellow soldier.
Since then, the prince has immersed himself in military and charity work, gradually improving his profile, and this month he was promoted to the rank of captain after completing five years’ service. “Harry has changed public perceptions of himself,” said Richard Palmer. “He was a bit of a wildchild when he was younger. Like a lot of young people, he regularly let off steam getting hammered in nightclubs,” he told. But he outfoxed the press by holding it on a private estate.
Harry’s best chance of getting a proper stint back on the front line is in a helicopter, so he began retraining in early 2009 and qualified last month to fly the Apache attack helicopter, a job which just two percent of trainee pilots can do. “There’s no other reason for training to be an Apache pilot other than to serve in Afghanistan. It would be a scandal and a waste of public money if he doesn’t go,” Palmer said. Critics said it should be seen as Harry’s greatest achievement. “Harry has silenced his critics, proved himself as an exceptional pilot — and now deserves a chance to return to Afghanistan.”
Harry soldiers on fighting playboy prince tag
