The birth of Prince Harry, who turns 41 next week, came at a challenging time in the relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

The couple had welcomed their first child, Prince William, in 1982, just a year after their ‘fairytale’ wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

On Valentine’s Day in 1984, Diana shared the news of her second pregnancy. At just 22, she mentioned she had no preference for the baby’s gender, while Charles hoped for a boy and a girl.

A headline captured the excitement, stating it would be ‘Double the Fun and Double the Mischief,’ alongside a photo of their son William, who was only 20 months old at the time.

Despite the happy news, cracks were appearing in Diana and Charles’s marriage. This ultimately led to Diana recording a series of interviews with Andrew Morton, which became the foundation of his groundbreaking book, Diana: Her True Story.

In the 2019 revised edition’s foreword, Morton reflected, ‘Even more than a quarter-century later, the story seems almost unbelievable.’

‘Hollywood would likely reject such a script as too far-fetched; a beautiful yet troubled princess, an unknown writer, and a book that transformed her life forever,’ he added.

Morton transcribed one of Diana’s recordings, where she expressed, ‘Between the births of William and Harry, things were very dark. It’s mostly a blur, blocked out due to the pain, yet Harry’s arrival felt like a miracle.’

Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Prince William are pictured in June 1984, three months before Prince Harry was born

Diana told Andrew Morton: ‘We were very, very close to each other the six weeks before Harry was born, the closest we’ve ever, ever been and will be’

The Wales’ marriage was showing cracks from the beginning, ultimately resulting in Diana sitting down for a series of taped interviews with Andrew Morton, which formed the basis of his groundbreaking biography, Diana: Her True Story

‘We were very, very close to each other the six weeks before Harry was born, the closest we’ve ever, ever been and will be.

‘Then suddenly, as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage, the whole thing went down the drain.

‘I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan. Charles always wanted a girl. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl. I knew Harry was a boy and I didn’t tell him.

So when Diana gave birth to their second son, Harry, in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital on September 15, 1984, Charles could barely hide his disappointment.

‘First comment was: “Oh God, it’s a boy,” second comment: “And he’s even got red hair,”‘ Diana recounted to her Morton.

In his own bombshell memoir Spare, Prince Harry said he was 21 the first time he heard the story of ‘what Pa allegedly said to Mummy the day of my birth: “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an Heir and a Spare – my work is done.”

‘A joke. Presumably,’ Harry wrote. ‘On the other hand, minutes after delivering this bit of high comedy, Pa was said to have gone off to meet his girlfriend. So. Many a true word spoken in jest.’

Outside the hospital, Prince Charles appeared to hide his true feelings and told the waiting journalists: ‘He’s wonderful. Absolutely marvellous.’

‘Then suddenly, as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage, the whole thing went down the drain,’ Diana said. She is pictured at Chelsea Flower Show in May 1984

Charles and Diana, six months pregnant with Harry at the time, sit on a wooden bench during a photocall with their two-year old son, William 

The Daily Mail’s front cover on September 16 – the day after Prince Harry was born

Diana is pictured holding newborn Harry as she leaves St. Mary’s Hospital in London in September 1984

Diana claims in the recordings that Charles’s disappointment at having a second boy rather than a girl persisted until Prince Harry’s christening on December 21, 1984.

After the ceremony at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the future king allegedly told Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd: ‘We’re so disappointed, we thought it would be a girl.’

Frances then ‘snapped his head off’ and told him he should ‘realise you are lucky to have a child’, Diana added. 

The doomed royal couple announced their separation just months after the publication of Morton’s book in 1992 and finalised their divorce in August 1996.

Elsewhere in Morton’s explosive biography, Diana reveals that the birth of her first son, William – the heir – came with its own set of issues.

The Princess of Wales told Morton she had to choose a date to be induced that fit around Charles’s busy polo schedule.

‘When we had William, we had to find a date in the diary that suited Charles and his polo,’ she said.

‘William had to be induced because I couldn’t handle the press pressure any longer, it was becoming unbearable. It was as if everyone was monitoring every day for me.’

Charles and Diana, wearing an outfit designed by Jan Van Velden, are pictured with newborn Prince Harry

Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing after visiting his baby brother Harry for the first time

Diana claims in the recordings that Charles’s disappointment at having a second boy rather than a girl persisted until Harry’s christening on December 21, 1984

Diana added: ‘Anyway, the boy arrived, great excitement.

‘Thrilled, everyone absolutely high as a kite – we had found a date where Charles could get off his polo pony for me to give birth. 

‘That was very nice, felt grateful about that!’

Throughout his life, Harry has battled with the label of ‘spare’, culminating in his tell-all memoir of the same name in 2023.

In Spare, he wrote: ‘I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy.

‘I was summoned to provide back-up, distraction, diversion and if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow.’

The rift between Harry, his brother and Charles has been well-documented, but many observers believe that reconciliation is possible with whispers of peace talks making headlines.

As Harry celebrates his birthday today, he will likely remember treasured memories of time spent with his mother, who died just weeks before he turned 13. 

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s relationship timeline 

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s 15-year relationship went from an unlikely beginning to a fairytale wedding and two children before ending in an unhappy divorce.

Here is a month-by-month timeline of their relationship downfall

November 1977: Prince Charles meets Lady Diana Spencer while dating her sister

September 1980: Diana and Charles’ relationship is made public after she is seen at Balmoral 

February 24, 1981: Prince Charles and Diana announce their engagement with a wedding to follow in the summer

July 29, 1981: Their fairytale Royal wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral was watched by an estimated global television audience of 750million people

Charles and Diana’s fairy tale wedding took place at St Paul’s Cathedral. Diana’s dress was made by British fashion designer David and Elizabeth Emanuel 

June 21, 1982: Prince Charles and Princess Diana welcome their first child, Prince William 

The Prince and Princess of Wales, welcomed their first child, Prince William outside of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital

April 1983: Charles and Diana take their son Prince William on a Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand

September 15, 1984: The couple welcome their second child, Prince Harry 

Diana and Charles welcome a second child. Prince Harry was also born at the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital 

1986: Rumours of infidelity hit the couple

December 1986: Charles and Diana pose for a photo with Harry and William

The couple put on a brave face as they pose for a Christmas photograph with their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry at Kensington Palace in December 1986

1987: Rumors of strife as Diana doesn’t join Royal Family summer trip to Balmoral

February 1992: Diana’s solo Taj Mahal photo

Diana was pictured alone outside of the Taj Mahal, during her and Charles’ tour of India. The Prince left her alone while he attended a business meeting

May 1992: Princess Diana’s authorised biography Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton is published

November 1992: Charles and Diana’s final Royal Tour to South Korea

December 1992: Prime Minister John Major announces Charles and Diana are to separate

1993: The Camillagate phone call leak

June 1994: Charles admits adultery in documentary Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role

June 1994: Diana wears the ‘revenge dress’ to the Serpentine Gallery

Diana stepped out in ‘the revenge dress’ on the same night as Charles’ bombshell TV interview

November 1995: Diana’s Panorama interview

August 1996: Charles and Diana finalise divorce and Diana loses her ‘HRH’ status

July 1997: Diana and William have lunch in London

Princess Diana and Prince William leave lunch at La Famiglia in London’s upmarket Chelsea neighbourhood just weeks before her death

August 31, 1997: Princess Diana dies in fatal Paris car crash 

A four mile procession brings Diana’s coffin to Westminster Abbey, where politicians and celebrities join the Royal Family in a subdued congregation. Prince William and Prince Harry attend along with their father Prince Charles and uncle Charles, Earl Spencer (pictured)

September 6, 1997: The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, was held in London, drawing an estimated 2.5billion global viewers and over a million people to the streets of London