“I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40,” the Duke of Sussex has said, ahead of his birthday this weekend. In a statement to the BBC, Prince Harry said: “Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world”.
He plans to celebrate his 40th birthday on Sunday with his family in California, before heading off on a break with a group of his closest friends. The prince also spoke about the importance of his children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
“Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work,” the prince said in a statement released by his spokesperson.
“Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place.” The past 10 years have been a turbulent time for Prince Harry filled with significant change.
He turned 30 in 2014, the year after returning from his second tour with the British army in Afghanistan. He previously revealed in his memoir he had been “going through a bad moment” after he returned, suffering periods of lethargy and “terrifying panic attacks”.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games the year he turned 30, which he has previously said was his response to the shock of seeing casualties in the war and his feeling that the public were not fully aware of the reality of the conflict. Also a few months before he turned 30, he and his then-girlfriend Cressida Bonas split up.
Prince Harry – who is fifth in line to the throne – met Meghan in 2016 and moved from the UK to California in 2020 leaving behind his life as a working royal. The fallout with his family has been acrimonious and public and there are no signs of a reconciliation.
In recent weeks, there had been speculation that Prince Harry was looking at a permanent move back to the UK. But those who know him well have ruled that out and say he is happy and settled in California.
It is understood he would like to spend more time in the UK working with the organisations he supports but security remains a sticking point. A legal wrangle with the Home Office over the level of police protection he receives in the UK is ongoing.
In May, Prince Harry made a solo visit to London to work with a number of charities.
It is understood he was offered a place to stay in a royal residence but turned it down, believing his location would become obvious and compromising his ability to move around the city safely. But he will feel the pull of the UK strongly in the years ahead.
The Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women was Prince Harry’s vision when it began 10 years ago in London. Invictus remains a personal passion and it returns to the UK in 2027 when Birmingham hosts the Games.
“He’s described it to me as his first child. It is a very important thing and he is totally committed,” Dominic Reid, the outgoing chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation told me. “I think it speaks very deeply to the soldier in him.” A 40th birthday can be a time of reflection.
Prince Harry appears to be heading towards that milestone in an optimistic frame of mind. His statement to the BBC ends on a positive note. “Bring on the next decade,” he says, as he prepares to celebrate on Sunday.
