Timeline
Eighteen documented dates, 1984 to 2025. Dates use the public record; claims within events are labeled by category (record, account, reported).
1984 — Born in London
15 September 1984: Henry Charles Albert David is born at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, the second son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is third in line to the throne at birth.
1997 — Diana dies
31 August 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris. Harry is twelve. The funeral procession — Harry and William walking behind the coffin — is among the most widely documented events of his life.
2005–2006 — Sandhurst and commission
May 2005: Harry enters the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. April 2006: he is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals (Household Cavalry Regiment). His full service record is on the Military Service page.
2006 — Sentebale founded
Harry co-founds Sentebale (“forget-me-not” in Sesotho) with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, supporting vulnerable children in Lesotho in memory of their mothers.
2007–2008 — First Afghanistan tour
December 2007 – February 2008: Harry serves ten weeks in Helmand Province as a forward air controller (call sign Widow Six Seven). A media blackout is broken by foreign outlets in February 2008; he is withdrawn for his own and his unit’s security. See Sandhurst to Afghanistan.
2012–2013 — Apache qualification and second tour
February 2012: Harry qualifies as an Apache helicopter co-pilot/gunner with the Army Air Corps (the MOD reports he was judged best co-pilot gunner in his class). September 2012 – January 2013: second Afghanistan tour, Camp Bastion, flying Apaches with 662 Squadron.
2014 — The Invictus Games
March 2014: Harry announces the Invictus Games at London’s Copper Box Arena. 10–14 September 2014: the first Games are staged in London, with 413 competitors from 13 nations. See The Invictus Games.
2015 — Leaves the Army
June 2015: Harry leaves the Army after ten years’ service, with the rank of Captain, to focus on charitable work.
2016 — Heads Together; meets Meghan
May 2016: Harry, William and Catherine launch Heads Together, the mental-health campaign. Summer 2016: Harry meets the American actress Meghan Markle on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend (their account, given in the 2017 engagement interview).
2017 — The podcast; the engagement
April 2017: Harry’s interview with Bryony Gordon for the Mad World podcast (The Telegraph) — in which he discusses grief, therapy and mental health — is widely credited with shifting public conversation about both. 27 November 2017: the engagement to Meghan Markle is announced.
2018 — The wedding; Sydney Invictus
19 May 2018: the wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor; the Queen grants him the dukedom of Sussex (Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, Baron Kilkeel). April 2018: he is appointed Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. October 2018: the third Invictus Games in Sydney.
2019 — Archie; the African Journey interview
6 May 2019: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is born. October 2019: the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey airs, including Tom Bradby’s interview in which Harry speaks of being on “different paths” from William and of the press treatment of Meghan. See Reception.
2020 — The step-back; Archewell
8 January 2020: the couple announce they will “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.” 19 January 2020: Harry’s Sentebale speech (“there really was no other option”). From 31 March 2020 they cease senior royal duties; no HRH styles, no public funding. 2020: the Archewell Foundation and Archewell media operation are founded. See Archewell.
2021 — Oprah; Lilibet
7 March 2021: Oprah with Meghan and Harry airs on CBS. Buckingham Palace responds that “some recollections may vary.” 4 June 2021: Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor is born in Santa Barbara. See The Oprah Interview.
2022 — The docuseries; the titles
December 2022: the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan is released. September 2022: on Charles III’s accession, Archie and Lilibet become Prince and Princess under the 1917 Letters Patent; the titles are used publicly from March 2023. See Titles & Styles.
2023 — Spare; the MGN judgment
10 January 2023: Spare is published — the fastest-selling non-fiction book on record, per the publisher. December 2023: the High Court finds Mirror Group Newspapers carried out unlawful information gathering against Harry; he is awarded £140,600. See Spare and Media Litigation.
2024 — Invictus at ten; the ESPYs
May 2024: a service at St Paul’s Cathedral marks ten years of the Invictus Games. July 2024: Harry receives the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards — reported fact; the award drew public debate, which is noted without taking a side.
2025 — Settlement; the Vancouver–Whistler Games
January 2025: Harry settles his claim against News Group Newspapers (publisher of The Sun) on the opening day of trial; NGN issues a “full and unequivocal apology” and pays substantial damages. February 2025: the Invictus Games are staged in Vancouver–Whistler — the first winter-sport edition. May 2025: the Court of Appeal rejects Harry’s challenge over the removal of his automatic UK police protection; he gives a BBC interview the same day.
Source notes
- Dates are drawn from the public record: royal.uk, MOD releases, Buckingham Palace statements, the Invictus Games Foundation, Sentebale, Archewell, BBC/Reuters/Guardian reporting, and High Court records.
- Where an event’s meaning is contested (the 2020 step-back, the Oprah interview, Spare), the deep-dive pages separate the public record from Harry’s account and from press reporting.