Challenges in the Life of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in a Detailed Timeline
Life is full of challenges, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is a prominent member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of King Charles III and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Currently fifth in line to the British throne, Harry's life has been marked by both royal duties and personal challenges. He served in the British Army, including tours in Afghanistan. In recent years, he and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as senior working royals and relocated to the United States. Their decision stemmed from a desire for greater privacy and freedom from intense media scrutiny. They now pursue philanthropic and entrepreneurial endeavors through their organization, Archewell.
1996: Parents' Divorce
In 1996, Prince Harry's parents, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, divorced, a significant event in his personal life.
1997: Death of Princess Diana
In 1997, Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris, a tragic event that deeply affected his life.
February 2009: Failed Pilot's Theory Test
In February 2009, Prince Harry initially failed his pilot's theory test at the Defence Helicopter Flying School.
February 2014: Man sentenced for plotting to murder Harry
In February 2014, Ashraf Islam was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting to murder Harry, believing Harry had "a moral guilt" due to his military service.
June 2019: Neo-Nazis jailed for sharing propaganda targeting Harry
In June 2019, two members of the neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division were jailed for sharing propaganda posters, one of which labelled Harry as a "race traitor" with a gun pointed at his head.
October 2019: Harry sues newspapers for alleged phone-hacking
In October 2019, Harry sued the Daily Mirror, The Sun, and News of the World for alleged phone-hacking, seeking damages and alleging a prior agreement with the royal family was not honored.
January 2020: Stepping back from royal duties
On 18 January 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that Harry and Meghan would step back from royal duties and would no longer use their Royal Highness styles in practice, effective 31 March 2020.
January 2020: Agreement reached for Harry to step back from Royal duties
On 18 January 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that an agreement had been reached for Prince Harry "to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments", marking a significant change in his role within the Royal Family.
March 2020: Cessation of Canadian Security and Petition in the UK
In March 2020, the Government of Canada announced RCMP security would not be provided to Harry and Meghan after their status changed. A similar petition circulated in the UK.
March 2020: Sussexes cease official engagements
On 31 March 2020, the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was officially closed as they ceased "undertaking official engagements in support of the Queen".
June 2020: Harry's lawyers threaten legal action against The Sun
In June 2020, Harry's lawyers issued a 'letter before action', threatening to sue The Sun and Dan Wootton over allegations that they paid associates of palace officials for stories. The payments were allegedly for stories about Archie's nannying and god-parenting arrangements.
February 2021: Harry relinquishes honorary military appointments
In February 2021, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry would give up his position as Captain General Royal Marines and hand back all other honorary military appointments, formalizing his withdrawal from these roles.
February 2021: Honorary military appointments returned
In February 2021, Harry's honorary military appointments were returned to Elizabeth II.
March 2021: Oprah Interview
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey was broadcast. Meghan discussed marriage and public life, while Harry talked about their move to the United States, criticised his father's parenting, and mentioned his strained relationships with his father and brother.
March 2021: Charity Commission Review of Sussex Royal
In March 2021, it was reported that the Charity Commission for England and Wales was conducting a review of the Sussex Royal organisation regarding its conduct under charity law during dissolution.
September 2021: Start of Legal Fight Over Police Protection
In September 2021, Harry began a legal fight over the Home Office's refusal to allow him to pay for police protection in the UK.
January 2022: RAVEC Decision on Harry's Security
In January 2022, RAVEC decided that State security could not be made available to private individuals, even if they wished to pay for it, which led to Harry challenging the decision.
January 2022: Reports of Legal Fight Over Police Protection
In January 2022, it was reported that Harry had been in a legal fight since September 2021 over the Home Office's refusal to allow him to pay for police protection in the UK.
February 2022: Harry files libel suit against ANL
In February 2022, Harry filed a libel suit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over a Mail on Sunday article alleging he tried to keep his legal battle for police protection secret.
March 2022: High Court Ruling on Confidentiality
In March 2022, the High Court ruled that some parts of Harry's case regarding police protection would remain confidential and reacted negatively when his legal team sent the ruling to someone who was not a lawyer.
April 2022: Criticism of BetterUp
In April 2022, reports emerged of criticism by the company's coaches over the new metrics placed for evaluating their services and over the opacity surrounding Harry's actual role in the firm.
June 2022: Court rules parts of article potentially defamatory
In June 2022, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that parts of the Mail on Sunday article were potentially defamatory in the libel suit filed by Harry, though he rejected claims that the article portrayed Harry as a liar.
July 2022: Permission Granted for Judicial Review
In July 2022, Mr Justice Swift granted permission for part of Harry's claim to proceed for a judicial review in his case against the Home Office.
August 2022: Harry Files Lawsuit Against Home Office
In August 2022, Harry filed a lawsuit against the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police, challenging RAVEC's decision that state security couldn't be provided to private individuals even if they paid for it.
October 2022: Duke of Sussex joins legal action against ANL
In October 2022, Harry joined Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, and others in launching a legal action against ANL for alleged "abhorrent criminal activity" including phone hacking and obtaining private information.
January 2023: Trial Set for Harry's Lawsuit Against Mirror Group Newspapers
In January 2023, a High Court judge ruled that Harry's lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), along with other similar lawsuits, would proceed to trial in May 2023.
February 2023: High Court Ruling on Security Case
In February 2023, a High Court judge initially ruled that Harry's security case should be thrown out, a decision which his legal team later appealed.
March 2023: Gabor Maté's public assessment
In March 2023, physician Gabor Maté suggested in a live-streamed interview that Harry could be suffering from PTSD, ADD, anxiety, and depression, based on his observations and Harry's autobiography, Spare.
March 2023: Heritage Foundation sends dossier on drug use
In March 2023, the Heritage Foundation sent a dossier regarding Harry's past drug use to government entities, questioning his U.S. visa application.
April 2023: Inconsistencies found in Harry's claim
In April 2023, a High Court judge noted inconsistencies in Harry's phone-hacking claim, including the timeline of when he became aware of the full scale of the issue and his failure to mention an alleged agreement between the publisher and the palace.
May 2023: Harry Loses Legal Challenge for Police Protection
In May 2023, Harry lost the legal challenge, resulting in him not being allowed to make private payments for police protection.
May 2023: MGN Apologizes for Unlawful Information Gathering
In May 2023, at the beginning of the trial, MGN apologized for one instance of unlawful information gathering against Harry, acknowledging that his legal challenge warranted compensation.
June 2023: Harry Testifies in Court
In June 2023, Harry testified in court, accusing former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan of personal attacks and alleging his phone had been hacked since his time at Eton. This marked the first time a royal had been cross-examined in court since 1891.
June 2023: Spotify Cancels Archetypes Deal
In June 2023, Spotify announced they would not proceed with the deal, cancelling Archetypes which had run for a single season of 12 episodes.
June 2023: Cost of Legal Fight Revealed
In June 2023, a Freedom of Information request revealed that Harry's legal fight with the Home Office had cost £502,236.
July 2023: Phone-hacking claims dismissed for being made too late
In July 2023, the judge ruled that Harry's phone-hacking claims were dismissed for being made too late, but part of his case involving allegations of illegal information gathering would go to trial.
November 2023: Court rules Harry's case against ANL can proceed
In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin ruled that the case brought by Harry and other claimants against ANL could proceed, but unpublished material provided to the Leveson Inquiry was inadmissible as proof.
December 2023: Judge rejects Harry's motion to dismiss ANL's defence
In December 2023, a judge rejected Harry's motion to dismiss ANL's defence in the libel suit and ordered the case to proceed to trial. Harry was also ordered to pay Mail on Sunday £48,447 in legal costs.
December 2023: High Court Rules in Harry's Favor
In December 2023, the High Court ruled in favor of Harry, finding that MGN was guilty of phone hacking in 15 of the 33 sample stories and awarded him £140,600 in damages. The court also concluded that Piers Morgan and other editors were aware of the phone hacking.
January 2024: Neo-Nazis Sentenced for Threatening Harry and Archie
In January 2024, Christopher Gibbons and Tyrone Patten-Walsh, two neo-Nazis, received prison sentences between 8 and 11 years for terrorism, including calling for the deaths of Harry and his son Archie on their podcast.
January 2024: Harry withdraws libel claim
In January 2024, Harry withdrew his libel claim against ANL and became liable for the publisher's £250,000 legal costs.
February 2024: Harry Settles Claim with MGN
In February 2024, Harry settled his remaining claim with MGN, with the publisher agreeing to cover his legal costs and pay damages reported to be in the region of £300,000.
February 2024: High Court Rules Against Harry in Home Office Case
In February 2024, the High Court ruled against Harry in his case against the Home Office, upholding RAVEC's decision on his security arrangements.
March 2024: U.S. government ordered to hand over visa details
In March 2024, a U.S. court ordered the government to hand over Harry's visa application details, following a request from the Heritage Foundation.
April 2024: Harry Loses Initial Appeal Against Security Ruling
In April 2024, Harry lost an initial attempt to appeal against the ruling regarding his security arrangements, and was held liable for 90% of the Home Office's legal costs.
May 2024: Permission to Challenge High Court's Decision
In May 2024, Harry was given permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge the High Court's decision regarding his security arrangements.
May 2024: Harry refused permission to include claims against Rupert Murdoch
In May 2024, Mr Justice Fancourt refused Harry the permission to include claims against Rupert Murdoch, expand his case's scope back to 1994 and 1995 to cover allegations involving his mother or to add new allegations from 2016 involving his then-girlfriend Meghan.
September 2024: Case regarding Harry's visa closed
In September 2024, the Heritage Foundation's case regarding Harry's visa was closed due to sealed orders and a sealed memorandum opinion.
October 2024: Judge announces two sides should either settle or go to trial
In October 2024, the judge announced that the two sides should either settle or go to trial in January 2025 and refused to let Harry's team include allegations that bugs were placed in rooms and cars, and trackers placed on vehicles as "no particulars whatsoever of such allegations" were provided.
January 2025: Settlement reached in phone hacking case
In January 2025, Harry and NGN (News Group Newspapers) settled the phone hacking case, with NGN paying over £10 million in payouts and legal fees. NGN issued an apology for "serious intrusion" by The Sun and News of the World, admitting to unlawful activity by private investigators, but denying journalist involvement.
February 2025: Court appearance mandated in visa case
In February 2025, attorneys for Harry and the Heritage Foundation are mandated to appear before a federal court in Washington, D.C., regarding the visa case.
