Prince Harry revels in his royal role but admits he is still occasionally ‘naughty’ in ITV documentary – as he vows to help others like Princess Diana
PRINCE Harry has told how he is revelling in his royal role but admits being occasionally “naughty”.
Harry, 32, said he “buried his head in the sand” after his mum Princess Diana died.
He told an ITV documentary trailing his charity work in Lesotho, South Africa: “I was fighting the system going, ‘I don’t want to be this person. My mother died when I was very, very young and I don’t want to be in this position’. Now I’m fired up and energised.”
But he added in Prince Harry in Africa, which airs tomorrow night: “It’s fun to be good and it’s boring to be bad. But you can be naughty as well.”
The royal, back in Lesotho after a visit ten years ago, said he hopes his love of Africa “carries on with my children as well”.
But Harry cheekily tells the camera you can still be naughty occasionally, even when you're trying to be more responsible.
Harry revealed that he no longer struggles against his royal role - but still feels the need to “make something” of his life.
He has now vowed to use his position to help others.
He also makes clear he intends to have children one day.
He told broadcaster Tom Bradby: “I feel like I need to make something of my life.
“I view life very differently to what it used to be, I was fighting the system going ‘I don’t want to be this person - my mother died when I was very, very young and I don’t want to be in this position’.
“But now I’m just so fired up and energised to be lucky enough to be in a position to make a difference.”
Harry co-founded the charity Sentebale - meaning “forget me not” - with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to improve prospects for the thousands of children and young people affected by HIV/Aids in the landlocked African country.
It has since delivered adolescent-friendly HIV testing and counselling services to more than 21,000 people, and plans to expand into four or five sub-Saharan African countries by 2020.
He said: “There was this special bond and we both got it, he knew that I was there, he knew that I cared, he knew that I had passion to help in whatever way I could.
“At that stage I had no mechanism to be able to start a charity or make any more of an impact than just literally being the ginger white prince who’s come to try and make these kids laugh.
“There’s obviously a connection of some sorts, that we both lost our mothers at different ages and in very different circumstances, but his mother stood for something and my mother stood for something as well.
“To a certain extent there’s a lot of unfinished business, unfinished work that my mother never completed.”
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Harry also receives praise in the documentary from Sir Elton John, who urged people to go to see the work being done by Sentebale, saying: “If his mother was alive, she’d still be doing the work she set out to be doing, and he’s carrying it on in the best possible way.”
And Harry, dating Suits actress Megan Markle, 35, also further alluded to one day wanting kids of his own, adding: “Africa is an escape. For me I have this love of Africa, it will never disappear and I hope it carries on with my children as well.”
The film features singer Joss Stone and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who performed for the children at the request of the Prince.
Prince Harry In Africa will be broadcast on ITV at 9pm tomorrow.
During the hour long film Harry is also reunited with a young orphan he bonded with during his previous trip to the region as a gap year student more than 10 years ago.
Harry and now teenage Mutsu Potsane were filmed running up to each other and sharing a hung and a handshake.
And the prince then admitted the pair formed an “unhappy bond” over losing their mothers at a young age.
His lover Meghan Markle, 35, also told in a book how she chose acting over a Foreign Service career as she missed her native LA.
The Suits star said: “Thank God it worked.”