Prince Harry says he is ‘excited’ about turning 40 (Picture: Getty)
‘I was anxious about 30, I’m excited about 40’ Prince Harry has said ahead of his milestone birthday this weekend.
The Duke of Sussex is preparing to celebrate his 40th birthday on Sunday by jetting off on a ‘lads holiday’ with a handful of close friends, following a more subdued evening with his family in California.
In a statement released ahead of the big day, Harry spoke of the important role his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, played in his life.
‘Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work,’ he said.
In a statement to the BBC, Harry praised the importance of family in his life (Picture: Alexi Lubomirski)
‘Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place.’
Speaking to the BBC ahead of his birthday, Harry looked back on a turbulent ten years and revealed how his two young children gave him a ‘fresh perspective on life’.
‘Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world’, he added.
Harry’s 30th birthday was a decidedly different affair, which saw the prince enjoy a decadent weekend in Las Vegas just a few months after splitting from ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas.
The Duke said he had been ‘anxious’ to turn 30 in 2014, a year after returning from his second tour in Afghanistan struggling with the after-effects of being at war.
But he soon turned his life around, meeting his now-wife Meghan two years later and founding the Invictus games, which also turns 10 this year.
The Invictus Games, for injured members of the armed forces, remains a huge part of Harry’s life, describing it as ‘his first child to outgoing chief Dominic Reid.
The past ten years have marked a turbulent decade for Harry (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘It is a very important thing and he is totally committed,’ Reid told the BBC.
‘I think it speaks very deeply to the soldier in him.’
Also present at Harry’s 30th was brother Prince William and his wife Kate, who threw a glitzy bash for the younger royal at Chatham House.
The celebration is a stark contrast to the bitter feud shared by the two brothers in recent years, which has seen them estranged following claims made by Harry in his memoir ‘Spare’ about comments made by the Prince and Princess of Wales towards his wife.
The rift ultimately led to Harry and Meghan quitting as active members of the royal family and relocating to California, where they remain today.
Yet despite a turbulent decade, Harry appears to be approaching the next ten years in a much more optimistic state of mind.
Closing out his statement to the BBC, he simply said: ‘Bring on the next decade.’
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