Phoebe Barton reviews ‘Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings’ which aired on ITV on Thursday evening.
With Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle fast approaching, ITV aired a fascinating one-off documentary last night all about the Prince’s life so far. The programme features flashbacks of his earlier life, showing certain events that made him the Prince he is today.
As the title suggests, Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings is framed by the weddings of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and finally, the upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
After watching the documentary, there is one part that has stuck with me. The footage of Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William, dealing with the aftermath of their mother’s death really is touching and quite a hard watch. Unsurprisingly, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, features quite heavily in the programme. The documentary showed footage of Prince Harry having to put his emotions aside and follow Royal protocol as he and Prince William walked behind their mother’s coffin. It is remarkable how the Princes behaved so admirably at such a young age.
Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings features a range of people that provide their unique insights into events, including Prince Charles and Diana’s Royal Chef, Carolyn Robb, who describes being around a young and cheeky Prince Harry. Former Butler William French, singer Geri Horner, and Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes also feature.
Prince Harry’s darker times are touched on by these guests, including when he was photographed in a Nazi fancy-dress uniform, and underage drinking at a pub. Although some viewers felt it was unnecessary for ITV to bring these events to light again so close to the Royal Wedding, I felt it was important to include: they help show Prince Harry’s transition from a once often reckless teenager to a Prince ready to capture the hearts of a nation.
His time in the army was the turning point for Prince Harry, and the documentary shows this as well as the struggles of trying to deploy him to the frontline. Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings also features footage from Prince William’s wedding in 2011. It shows best-man Prince Harry grinning at the alter watching the Duchess of Cambridge walk down the aisle. Of course, the roles will be reversed in two weeks’ time when Prince William will be the one supporting Prince Harry on his wedding day.
The upcoming Royal Wedding on 19th May rounds the programme off nicely, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s love story being retold once more. It is a happy ending to a documentary that is quite heavy at times due to revisiting emotional events.
Prince Harry’s Story: Four Royal Weddings is a must-watch for Royal fans and those that may be unsure of Prince Harry’s past. It is an honest and heart-warming programme that lets us into the life of the soon-to-be married Prince. You can watch the programme on the ITV Hub now.
