01 February 2024 , 11:17
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There was no hiding Prince Harry's delight when he became an uncle for the first time.
In July of 2013, Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their first child together, Prince George, followed by sister Princess Charlotte in May 2015. Their family was complete when little Prince Louis arrived in April 2018.
Writing in his bomshell memoir Spare about George's birth, Harry said: "I was an uncle. Willy and Kate had welcomed their first child, George, and he was beautiful. I couldn't wait to teach him about rugby and Rorke's Drift, flying and corridor cricket — and maybe give him a few pointers about how to survive life in the fishbowl."
Similarly, Harry was "thrilled to bits" by the news of Charlotte's birth, stating that he "couldn't be happier for Willy and Kate". And he was equally smitten with little Prince Louis.
The Sun previously reported that for Prince Louis's christening, Harry gifted the youngest Wales child a first edition of A.A Milne's classic Winnie-The-Pooh - a gesture that apparently set him back £8,000.
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"One of Harry's happiest childhood memories was being read a bedtime story by his mother," an insider told the newspaper. "She loved all the old classics and Harry had the brilliant idea of starting a little library of first editions for Louis, Charlotte, and George to enjoy as they get older."
Prior to Louis's arrival, Harry told the Mirror that he wanted George and Charlotte to share a very specific part of his upbringing. "I would definitely encourage George, and Charlotte if she wants to, to have some sort of involvement in the Armed Forces, guaranteed. It's done no harm, just good, for me, and I know it's the same for William," he said.
"As an uncle, you know, I would say enjoy the [royal] role, because at first it's just pressure, pressure, pressure. If you're going to be doing it and you're having an effect on so many people then, if you smile, they're smiling – and what's the point of doing such a unique job without enjoying it?"
Of course, Harry is now a father himself - he and his wife Meghan Markle welcomed son Archie in May 2019 and daughter Lilibet in June 2021. The family live together in Montecito, California following the couple's decision to step down as senior royals in January 2020.
In his book, Prince Harry wrote about his desire to have a "family, not an institution" and said how he hopes his children, despite their move overseas and strained relationship with the royal family, will have a connection with his relatives.
"I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy."