Harry's changing his ways
2005-09-14 12:36
Peter Walker
London - Britain's Prince Harry turns 21 this week, seemingly the perfect chance for the fun-loving prince to hold a wild party. But no - according to observers, this royal rebel is changing his ways.
On Thursday, the day of his birthday, the prince is expected to enjoy nothing more than a quiet drink with a smattering of close friends and his South African girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
In part, this is a response to the bad publicity which until recently dogged the "playboy prince", who scuffled with photographers outside a nightclub and was then photographed at a fancy dress party wearing a mock Nazi uniform.
But more pressing to Harry is the fact that both on his birthday and the day after, he will be putting in full hours at the Sandhurst military academy, where he is undergoing a relentlessly tough 44-week officer training course.
It is the military which many observers say has been the making of the prince, the younger son of British heir to the throne Prince Charles.
Harry was now seen as somewhat of "a reformed character", said royal-watcher Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine.
Less serious, less intelligent
"We are told of late that he is settling down, that yes, he was a bit excessive for a while, but that he is settling down now and that the Army is instilling some discipline into him," Little said.
Harry has long been popularly characterised as the less serious -and less intelligent - counterpart to Prince William, his 23-year-old brother.
In 2002, Harry admitted to smoking cannabis and drinking while under age, prompting his father to send him to visit patients at a drug treatment centre.
In part, Harry's behaviour has been put down to the traditional lack of focus experienced by many younger royal children through the ages, with the younger prince keenly aware he is the less vital part of the so-called "heir and a spare" double act with William.
"It's not something that is peculiar to Harry, it has happened with previous royal generations, that the role is just not clearly defined. It is that age-old problem," Little said.
Harry has not completely given up his party-loving ways - he spent much of a recent holiday with Davy and friends on a houseboat in Botswana smoking, drinking beer and listening to loud music - but appears to have found his niche in the military.
"It was only a question of time that he would do so - we are all young once and have a free rein for a while, but then have to knuckle down into the serious stuff," Little noted.
- AFP