Never-before-seen photos from Princess Diana’s bodyguard show how Prince Harry, 7, was on track to become a soldier

THESE incredible pictures, seen here for the first time, show the moment Prince Harry decided he wanted to be a soldier.

Posing alongside brother William, a beaming seven-year-old Harry clutches a rifle and proudly shows off the target he has hit with deadly accuracy.

Another photograph shows the boys with mum Diana, who had taken Harry and William, then nine, for a private session at a Metropolitan Police shooting range in the spring of 1992.

The pictures feature in the Princess of Wales’s personal protection officer, Ken Wharfe's re-released memoir, Diana: Closely Guarded Secret. He  was in charge of her around-the-clock security between 1987 and 1993.

He arranged for the gun-mad boys to have a day out at the Lippitts Hill police training centre in Essex, where they were also drilled on what to do in the event of a kidnap attempt.

In his memoir, Ken, 68, says: “At heart William and Harry were just brothers in search of adventure.”

And he believes it was this first experience of “slotting” — a slang military term for taking out a target — which made Harry determined to join the Forces.

He served in the Army for a decade from 2005.

In his book, Ken recalls the day that he firmly believes shaped the young Prince’s life, writing: “The Princess appreciated Harry’s passion for all things military and asked me if I would take the boys to a shooting range.

“Harry was beside himself with excitement, it was a dream come true.

“They were shown firearms used by police officers and examples of guns used by criminals.

“Harry was itching to get on the range, his level of concentration was by far greater than that of his brother William.

“William, playing the big brother role, was quick to belittle his younger brother by saying that he ‘really doesn’t understand’.

Diana interjected, saying, ‘Oh shut up, William, we’ll see who’s been concentrating in a minute’.

“Her instinct was to be proved right.

“Harry was an exceptional shot for his tender age of just seven, firing real bullets like the real soldier that he one day wanted to be.

“Both boys were good but Harry was the star.

"He hit the centre of the target time after time and was given his near-perfect target as a present that he cherished.

“I am certain his success that day made him even more determined to follow a career in the military, for which he was so well suited.”