Prince Harry's journey from childhood to fatherhood -

Today a husband and a father of two, Prince Harry has certainly taken many winding paths to get to where he is now. Click through to explore the long road from British enfant terrible to respectable father.

© Getty Images

His second time around - On May 6, 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child together, Archie, who seems to take after his dad. On June 4, 2021, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born.

© Reuters

Birth -

Prince Harry is the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Lady Diana. He was born on September 15, 1984.

© BrunoPress

Henry - Actually born Prince Henry of Wales, his mother decided he should be called Harry instead.

© Reuters

Being in the spotlight - Harry seemed to be made for the spotlight from birth. He always looked cheerful and loved making jokes.

© BrunoPress

Media darling - He inherited his charm with the media from his mother: naughty, and a bit shy.

© BrunoPress

Brothers -

The bond with his brother William has always been strong, even if it's been more shaky recently.

© Getty Images

Goofing around - They always seemed to be fooling around, but it was pretty clear that the youngest of the two was always the one to start it!

© Reuters

Childhood wishes - He certainly didn't grow up as your typical kid. "There’s a lot of times that both myself and my brother wish, obviously, that we were just completely normal," Harry told an interviewer.

© Reuters

Having fun - Despite the circumstances, the boys' parents did everything to offer their children a normal childhood. They could even be spotted at amusement parks and McDonald's, for instance.

© Reuters

Princess Diana - In a documentary about the late Lady Di, her boys spoke full of praise for their mother.

© Reuters

"The best mom" - "She was our mom. She still is our mom. And of course, as a son I would say this, she was the best mom in the world...She smothered us with love, that’s for sure," Harry said.

© BrunoPress

Hard times - In addition to constant media attention, the young princes would struggle with their parents' separation and eventual divorce.

© Reuters

Tragedy - But it all paled in comparison to the tragic death of their mother in 1997, victim of a fatal car accident.

© Reuters

Funeral - "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television," the Prince told Newsweek in 2017. "I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen."

© Reuters

Rebel - It seemed that the loss of his mother contributed to his rebellion.

© Reuters

Eton College - Prince Harry, just like his older brother, studied at Eton College and developed a great love for sports there. But even the school couldn't curb his rebellious nature.

© Reuters

Bad behavior - His teenage years were characterized by instances of bad behavior. For example, there was that time he was photographed at 17 using stimulants.

© Reuters

Rehabilitation clinic - Prince Charles acted decisively and sent his son to a rehab clinic for a day so he could see what drugs could do to your body.

© Reuters

Lesson learned? - Was it enough to stop Harry from public scandals? Not at all!

© Reuters

Nazi uniform scandal - In 2005, it emerged that during a friend's costume party Harry appeared wearing a Nazi uniform. He soon realized his mistake and apologized through his publicist, saying: "I am very sorry if I caused any offense."

© Reuters

Turning over a new leaf? - After his apology, Prince Harry was urged by his father to visit Auschwitz. But even after this incident, Harry seemed to give Prince Charles even more sleepless nights.

© Reuters

Dirty Harry - In August 2012, Prince Harry made headlines again. This time, naked pictures of him partying in Las Vegas leaked.

© Reuters

Turnaround - This time, his brother intervened and advised Harry to seek professional help.

© Reuters

"Head out of the sand" - “My mother died when I was very young. I didn't want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good. I am now fired up and energized and love charity stuff, meeting people and making them laugh," Harry said in a honest interview in 2017.

© Reuters

Charity - Indeed, just like his mother, he's very involved with charities. He even came up with the Invictus Games, a sports event where injured veterans compete together.

© Reuters

Military man - And don't forget: Prince Harry has also been sent to Afghanistan twice.

© Reuters

Human -

But his past "mistakes" were not for nothing. The fact that he's only human probably led to the unprecedented popularity he has today. Harry changed the way people see the British royal family, and made their image less "stiff."

© Getty Images

Man of duty - In the meantime, Harry has grown up, although every now and then he makes statements that shake the British monarchy's foundations. "Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time," he said in 2017.

© Reuters

The boss -

And then there's what he had to say about his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. "I still view her more as the Queen than my grandmother. You have this huge amount of respect for your boss and I always view her as my boss—but occasionally as a grandmother," Harry shared in a documentary.

© BrunoPress

Father -

Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are parents of two, what's sure is that if the little ones are anything like dad, the Duke and Duchess won't have any rest!

See also: Meghan Markle's road to royal motherhood

© Reuters