Tunisian Air Force "القوات الجوية التونسية" Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya At'Tunisia
Founded	1959
Country	Tunisia
Size	4,000 personnel 154 aircraft 3 UAVs
Part of	Tunisian Armed Forces
HQ	Bizerte
Commanders
Commander	General Taïeb Lajimi
Insignia
Roundel
Aircraft flown
Attack	- Northrop F-5 - Aermacchi MB-326
Fighter	- Northrop F-5 - Aermacchi MB-326 - Aero L-59 Super Albatros
Interceptor	- Northrop F-5
Reconnaissance	- Aermacchi MB-326 - Aero L-59 Super Albatros
Trainer	- Aermacchi MB-326 - Aermacchi SF.260 - Aero L-59 Super Albatros
Transport	- C-130 - Boeing 737 - Dassault Falcon 20 - Let L-410 Turbolet - UH-1H

The Tunisian Air Force (Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya At'Tunisia) is one of the branches of the Tunisian Armed Forces.

Air Force[link]

The Tunisian Air Force was established in 1959, three years after Tunisia regained its independence from France. It took deliveries of its first aircraft, eight Saab 91 Safirs, in 1960, later to be complemented by further Saab 91 Safirs. The Tunisian Air Force entered the jet age in 1965 with the purchase of MB326s. Between 1974 and 1978 12 SF.260 Warriors were delivered for basic training. In 1977–78 12 MB.326KT's were supplied for light attack duties. In 1985 Tunisia ordered 2 C-130's and 24 F-5E/F's. In 1995 a major Czech order was placed with 12 Aero L-59 armed trainers and 3 Let L-410UVP transports ordered. In 1997 five surplus C-130's were delivered from the USA.

There are four main bases: Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed, Gafsa, Bizerte/La Karouba and Sfax.

Organization[link]

The order of battle of the Tunisian Air force is as below: ^[1]

Tunis-Laouina[link]

No. 12 Squadron

Transport squadron, Let L-410 Turbolet

Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed[link]

No. 11 Squadron

Jet trainer squadron, Aermacchi MB-326

No. 15 Squadron

Fighter squadron, Northrop F-5 Tiger

No. 21 Squadron

Transport squadron, C-130 Hercules, G-222

Bizerte-La Karouba[link]

No. 31 Squadron

Helicopter squadron, Bell 205, UH-1 Iroquois

No. 32 Squadron

Helicopter squadron, Alouette II, Ecureuil

No. 33 Squadron

Helicopter squadron

No. 36 Squadron

Helicopter squadron

Sfax-Thyna[link]

No. 13 Squadron

Light utility and liaison squadron, flying SF-260s

No. 14 Squadron

Light utility and liaison squadron, flying SF-260s

No. ? Squadron

Helicopter squadron

Gafsa[link]

No. 16 Squadron

Jet trainer squadron, flying L-59s

No. ? Squadron

Current air force equipment[link]

Aircraft	Picture	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
Aero L-59 Super Albatros		Advanced trainer		12
Aermacchi MB-326		ground attack		6	3 MB-326KT and 3 MB-326LT
Northrop F-5E Tiger II		Fighter		12
Northrop F-5F Tiger II		Trainer		3
Aeritalia G.222		Transport		5
Dassault Falcon 20		transport		1
Let L-410 Turbolet		transport		5
Lockheed C-130E Hercules		transport	also operates two C130H	5
Aermacchi SF.260		utility		18
SIAI-Marchetti S.208	250px	utility		2
Aérospatiale SA 341 Gazelle		attack helicopter		5/7
Aérospatiale SA 319 Alouette		trainer helicopter		6	Aérospatiale SA 318 Alouette
Bell 205		trainer helicopter		15
Bell 212 Twin Huey		Utility helicopter		4
Bell 412		Utility helicopter		4
Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin		Utility helicopter		1
Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil		Utility helicopter		6
Eurocopter AS 355 Twin Ecureuil		Utility helicopter		1
Hughes 500		Utility helicopter		1
Sikorsky S-76 Spirit		Utility helicopter		1
Sikorsky S-61		Utility helicopter		11
HH-3E Pelican		Utility helicopter		1
Bell UH-1H Iroquois		Utility helicopter		4

References[link]

Sources[link]

• World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 03

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For military aviation conducted by armies and navies, see army aviation and naval aviation.

Four fighters and a tanker aircraft of the USAF.

USAF B-2 Spirit stealth strategic bomber.

Refuelling a Jaguar GR1 of the Royal Air Force (1991).

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or other branch. Typically, air forces are responsible for gaining control of the air, carrying out strategic and tactical bombing missions and providing support to surface forces.

The term "air force" may also refer to a tactical air force or numbered air force, which is an operational formation within a national air force. Air forces typically consist of a combination of fighters, bombers, helicopters, transport planes and other aircraft.

Many air forces are also responsible for operations of military space, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), and communications equipment. Some air forces may command and control other air defence assets such as antiaircraft artillery, surface-to-air missiles, or anti-ballistic missile warning networks and defensive systems. Some nations, principally Russia, the former Soviet Union and countries who modelled their militaries along Soviet lines, have an Air Defence Force which is organizationally separate from their air force.

In addition to pilots, air forces have ground support staff who support the aircrew. In a similar manner to civilian airlines, there are supporting ground crew as pilots cannot fly without the assistance of other personnel such as engineers, loadmasters, fuel technicians and mechanics. However, some supporting personnel such as airfield defence troops, weapons engineers and air intelligence staff do not have equivalent roles in civilian organizations.

History[link]

Heavier-than-air military aircraft[link]

Balloon or flying corps are not generally regarded as examples of an air force.^{[citation needed]} However, with the invention of heavier-than-air craft in the early 20th century, armies and navies began to take interest in this new form of aviation as a means to wage war.

The first aviation force in the world was the Aviation Militaire of the French Army formed in 1910, which eventually became L'Armée de l'Air. In 1911, during the Italo-Turkish War, Italy employed aircraft for the first time ever in the world for reconnaissance and bombing missions against Turkish positions on Libyan Territory. The Italian–Turkish war of 1911–1912 was the first in history that featured air attacks by airplanes and dirigible airships.^[1] During World War I France, Germany, Italy, British Empire and the Ottoman Empire all possessed significant forces of bombers and fighters. World War I also saw the appearance of senior commanders who directed aerial warfare and numerous flying aces.

Independent air forces[link]

An independent air force is one which is a separate branch of a nation's armed forces and is, at least nominally, treated as a military service on par with that of older services like navies or armies.

The British Royal Air Force was the first independent air force in the world.^[2] The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918 by amalgamation the British Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. On establishment the RAF comprised over 20,000 aircraft, was commanded by a Chief of the Air Staff who held the rank of Major General and was governed by its own government ministry (the Air Ministry).

Over the following decades most countries with any substantial military capability established their own independent air forces. The South African Air Force was formed on 1 February 1920 and the Australian Air Force was formed shortly afterwards on 31 March 1921, although it was not until 1922 that the head of the Service was titled as Chief of the Air Staff, placing him on a par with his Australian Army and Navy counterparts. The Canadian Air Force was formed at the end of World War I, and was abolished and reorganized several times between 1918 and 1924. It became the permanent Royal Canadian Air Force when it received the "Royal" title by royal proclamation on 1 April 1924. It did not however become independent of the Canadian Army until 1938 when its head was also designated as Chief of the Air Staff. The Finnish Air Force was established as a separate service on 4 May 1928^[3] and the United States Air Force was formed as a separate branch of the American military on 18 September 1947.^[4] The Israeli Air Force came into being the with the State of Israel on 18 May 1948, but evolved from the pre-existing Sherut Avir (Air Service) of the Haganah paramilitary. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force was not established until 1954; in World War II Japanese military aviation had been carried out by the Army and Navy.

The world wars[link]

RAF Supermarine Spitfire played a vital role in British victory during the Battle of Britain.

World War I[link]

Germany was the first country to organize regular air attacks on enemy infrastructure. In World War I it used its zeppelins (airships) to drop bombs on British cities. At that time, Britain did have aircraft, though her airships were less advanced than the zeppelins and were very rarely used for attacking; instead they were usually used to spy on German U-boats (submarines).

Fixed-wing aircraft at the time were quite primitive, being able to achieve velocities comparable to that of modern automobiles and mounting minimal weaponry and equipment. Aerial services were still largely a new venture, and relatively unreliable machines and limited training resulted in stupendously low life expectancies for early military aviators.^{[citation needed]}

World War II[link]

By the time World War II began, planes had become much safer, faster and more reliable. They were adopted as standard for bombing raids and taking out other aircraft because they were much faster than airships. The world's largest military Air Force by the start of the Second World War in 1939 was the Red Air Force, and although much depleted, it would stage the largest air operations of WWII over the four years of combat with the German Luftwaffe.

Arguably the war's most important air operation, known as the Battle of Britain, took place during 1940 over Britain and the English Channel between Britain's Royal Air Force and Germany's Luftwaffe over a period of several months. In the end Britain emerged victorious, and this caused Adolf Hitler to give up his plan to invade Britain. Other prominent air force operations during the Second World War include the Allied bombing of Germany during 1942–1944, and the Red Air Force operations in support of strategic ground offensives on the Eastern Front. The aerial warfare in Pacific Ocean theatre was of a comparable strategic significance to the Battle of Britain but was largely conducted by the US and Japanese naval aviation services and not by air forces.

Strategic bombing[link]

The air force's role of strategic bombing against enemy infrastructures was developed during the 1930s by the Japanese in China and by the Germans during the Spanish Civil War. This role for the bomber was perfected during World War II, during Allied "Thousand Bomber Raid" operations. The need to intercept these bombers, both during the day and at night, accelerated fighter aircraft developments. The war ended when United States Army Air Force Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers dropped two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945.

Post World War II[link]

A Pakistani Chengdu J-7.

The United States Air Force finally became an independent service in 1947. As the Cold War began, both the USAF and the Soviet Air Force built up their nuclear-capable strategic bomber forces. Several technological advances were widely introduced during this time: the jet engine; the missile; the helicopter; and inflight refueling.

During the 1960s, Canada took the unusual step of merging the Royal Canadian Air Force with the army and the navy to form the unified Canadian Forces, with air assets divided between several commands and a green uniform for everyone. This proved very unpopular^{[citation needed]}, and in 1975 Canadian aviation units were rebrigaded under a single organization (Air Command) with a single commander. In 2011 the Canadian Forces Air Command reverted to its pre-1960s name, the Royal Canadian Air Force. Perhaps the latest air force to become independent is the Irish Air Corps, which changed its uniform from army green to blue in the 1990s. After the Sino-Indian War of 1962, India modernized the Indian Air Force which is now the world's one of the top 5 most powerful air forces.

Air armies[link]

Several countries title their air force Air Army, notably France and Spain. In such countries the army is officially called the Land Army, although in common usage army retains its meaning of a land force.

However, in the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation the term Air Army also refers to a military formation, and during WWII eighteen Air Armies operated as part of the Red Army Order of Battle as the Soviet Air Forces in World War II. The Air Armies were divided into the air forces of the military district PVO, the Frontal Aviation Air Armies assigned one to each Front, and the Anti-Air Defence Armies that included anti-aircraft guns and interceptors.

See also[link]

• List of air forces
• Aerial warfare
• History of military aviation
• Military aircraft

Notes[link]

References[link]

• "AFPC – Air Force Personnel Center", Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, Texas, 2009-01-12, webpage: randolph.af.mil-Ask.

• "United States Air Force", U.S. Air Force, 2009, webpage (large): Airforce.com (has subpages about the Air Force).

Prince Harry
Prince Harry at the Official Press Launch for Walking With The Wounded, 1 March 2010.
Full name
Henry Charles Albert David
House	House of Windsor
Father	Charles, Prince of Wales
Mother	Diana, Princess of Wales
Born	(1984-09-15) 15 September 1984 (age 27) St Mary's Hospital, London
Religion	Church of England

Prince Henry of Wales (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984), commonly known as Prince Harry,^[1] is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. As such, he is third in the line of succession (behind his father and elder brother) to the thrones of sixteen independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms. Consequently, as heir to the British throne, specifically, he is also third in line, again behind his father and elder brother, to the position Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

After an education at various schools around the United Kingdom and spending parts of his gap year in Australia and Lesotho, Harry, unlike his elder brother, Prince William, eschewed a university education in favour of following in the footsteps of various royal men by enrolling in the military. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Regiment—serving temporarily with his brother—and completed his training as a tank commander. He served for 77 days on the front line in the Afghan War,^[2] although he was pulled out following publication of the story in an Australian magazine.^[3]

Early life[link]

The Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra Sarah, Duchess of York
v t e

Harry was born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, England, on 15 September 1984. He was baptised at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, by then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. Harry's godparents were Prince Andrew (his paternal uncle); Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (his paternal cousin once removed); Lady Vestey; Mrs. William Bartholomew; Bryan Organ; and Gerald Ward.^[4]

Persistent suggestions, based on a similarity of hair colour, have been made that Harry's father is not Charles but James Hewitt, with whom Diana had an affair. However, red hair is known to be a Spencer family trait, and Hewitt stated to the press in 2002 that Harry had already been born by the time his affair with Diana began, a statement corroborated by Diana's police bodyguard.^[5][6]

There really is no possibility whatsoever that I am Harry's father. I can absolutely assure you that I am not…I can understand the interest but Harry was already walking by the time my relationship with Diana began. Admittedly the red hair is similar to mine and people say we look alike. I have never encouraged these comparisons and although I was with Diana for a long time I must state once and for all that I'm not Harry's father.

—James Hewitt^[7]

Diana wanted William and Harry to have a broader range of experiences than previous royal children and took both to venues that ranged from Disney World and McDonald's to AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless.^[8] Diana, Princess of Wales, who was by then divorced from the Prince of Wales, died in a car collision in 1997. Harry, his brother and their father were staying at Balmoral Castle at the time, and the Prince of Wales waited until early the following morning to tell his sons about their mother's death.^[9] At his mother's funeral, Harry accompanied his father, brother, paternal grandfather, and maternal uncle in walking behind the funeral cortège from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.^[10]

Education[link]

Like his father and elder brother, Harry was educated at public schools, starting at Jane Mynors' nursery school^[11] and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in London. Following this, he attended Ludgrove School, and, after passing the entrance exams, was admitted to Eton College, where he studied geography, art history, and art at A-Level. The decision to place Harry in Eton went against the family tradition of sending royal children to Gordonstoun (Harry's grandfather, father, two uncles, and two cousins all attended); it did, however, make the Prince follow in the Spencer family footsteps, as both Diana's father and brother had attended Eton.^[8] In June 2003, he completed his education at Eton with two A-Levels^[12] having decided to drop history of art after AS level.^[13] He excelled in sports, particularly polo and rugby union.^{[citation needed]}.

After graduation, Harry took a gap year, during which he spent time in Australia, working (as his father had done in his youth) on a cattle station and participating in the Young England vs Young Australia Polo Test Match.^[14] He also travelled to Lesotho, where he worked with orphaned children and produced the documentary film The Forgotten Kingdom.^[8]

Royal duties and career[link]

Prince Harry began to accompany his parents on official visits at an early age; his first overseas royal tour was with his parents to Italy in 1985.^[15] The earlier decision made by the Princess of Wales to take an infant William to Australia set the precedent for young royal children going on official visits.^[8] Harry then accompanied either both parents or his father on subsequent tours, though he did not begin solo official engagements until after his military training and active service. In August 1995, at the age of 10, Prince Harry attended the 50th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day at the Cenotaph in London. There he saluted the officers in the military parade, one of the most important ceremonies in the royal family agenda. In 2008, he began to undertake royal visits to schools and organisations in Wales.^[16]

Military career[link]

Prince Harry entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 8 May 2005, where he was known as Officer Cadet Wales, and joined the Alamein Company.^[17] Within a year, in April 2006, Harry completed his officer's training and was commissioned as a Cornet in the Blues and Royals, a regiment of the Household Cavalry in the British Army.^[18] By April 2008, whereupon he reached two years' seniority, Harry was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Officer Cadet Wales (standing to attention next to the horse) on parade at Sandhurst, 21 June 2005

The British Ministry of Defence and Clarence House made a joint announcement on 22 February 2007 that Prince Harry would be deployed with his regiment to the front line in Iraq, to serve as part of the 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd Mechanised Division – a move supported by Harry, who had stated that he would leave the army if he was told to remain in safety while his regiment went to war;^[19] he said: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."^[20] Then head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, first said on 30 April 2007 that he had personally decided that the Prince would serve with his unit in Iraq,^[21] and Harry was scheduled for deployment in May or June 2007, to patrol the Maysan province.^[22] By 16 May, however, Dannatt announced that Prince Harry would not serve in Iraq;^[23] concerns included Harry being a high-value target (as several threats by various groups have already been made against him) and the dangers the soldiers around him would face should any attempt be made on the Prince's life or capture. Clarence House made public the Prince's disappointment with the decision, though he said he would abide by it.^[24] In May 2007, British soldiers in Iraq were reported to be wearing t-shirts bearing the statement "I'm Harry!"; a reference to the scene in the movie Spartacus in which the survivors of Spartacus's army, defeated by Roman legions, are offered leniency by Crassus if they will identify their leader. Every survivor declares: "I'm Spartacus!"^[25]

It was reported, in early June 2007, that Prince Harry had arrived in Canada to train, alongside soldiers of the Canadian Forces and British Army, at Canadian Forces base Suffield, near Medicine Hat, Alberta. It was said that this was in preparation for a tour of duty in Afghanistan, where Canadian and British forces were participating in the NATO led Afghan War;^[26] rumours that were confirmed in February the following year, when the British Ministry of Defence revealed that Harry had secretly been deployed as a Forward Air Controller to Helmand Province in the Asian country.^[27] The revelation came after the media – notably, the German newspaper Bild and Australian magazine New Idea^[28][29] – breached the blackout placed over the information by the Canadian and British authorities.^[30] It was later reported that, while in Afghanistan, Harry had called in United States Air Force air strikes,^[31] helped Gurkha troops repel an attack from Taliban insurgents,^[32] and performed patrol duty in hostile areas.^[33] His tour came 735 years after his ancestor, Edward I of England (then Prince Edward), had also been on military duty in the Middle East during the Ninth crusade,^[34] and also made Harry the first member of the Royal Family to have served in a war zone since his uncle, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, flew helicopters during the Falklands War. For his service, Prince Harry was decorated with the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan by his aunt, the Princess Royal, at the Combermere Barracks in May 2008.^[35]

In October 2008, the news was revealed that Prince Harry was to follow his brother, father, and uncle with the wish to fly military helicopters. After passing the initial aptitude test, he was to undertake a month-long course; depending on whether or not he passed that course he would proceed onto full flight training in early 2009.^[36] Harry had to pass his flying assessment at the Army Air Corps Base (AAC), Middle Wallop, the result of which determined if he would pass on to train as a pilot of either the Apache, Lynx, or Gazelle helicopter.^[37]

Prince Harry was presented with his flying brevet (wings) by his father, on 7 May 2010 at a ceremony at the Army Air Corps Base (AAC), Middle Wallop. Prince Harry had also let it be known that he intended to fly Apache attack helicopters if he was successful in passing the rigorous Apache training course; after which time it could be possible for him to see active military service once again on the frontline in one of the warzones.^[38] During the ceremony, he switched his Blues and Royals' Officer's Service Dress cap for that of the Army Air Corps' sky blue beret with a Blues and Royals badge.

Prince Harry greeting people, 28 April 2011

On 10 March 2011, it was revealed that Prince Harry had passed his Apache flying test and he was awarded his Apache Flying Badge on 14 April 2011. There is speculation that he shall return to Afghanistan once again before the withdrawal in 2015. On 16 April 2011 it was announced that Prince Harry had been promoted to the Army rank of Captain after having held the rank of Lieutenant since 2008.^[39]

In June 2011, Clarence House announced that Prince Harry on completion of his training conversion course to use Apache helicopters in the war arena would be available for deployment, including in current operations in Afghanistan in his role as an Apache helicopter pilot. The final decision will ultimately rest with the Ministry of Defence's senior commanders including principally the Chief of the Defence Staff in consultation with the wishes of Harry, his father the Prince of Wales and The Queen.^[40] In October, Prince Harry was transferred to a US military base in California to complete his helicopter gunship training. This final phase will include live-fire training as well as "environmental and judgment training" at naval and air force facilities in California and Arizona. The majority of those completing the two-month Apache training are deployed to the front lines in Afghanistan.^[41] In the same month it was reported that Prince Harry was said to be a natural pilot who was reportedly top of his class in the extensive training he had undertaken at the Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California.^[42] On November 2011, Prince Harry returned to England from military training in the United States. Next, he will head to Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk, southeast England, to complete his training to fly Apache helicopters.^[43]

Royal duties[link]

Royal Monogram

At the age of 21, Prince Harry was appointed as a Counsellor of State, and began his royal duties by first serving in that capacity when the Queen was abroad to attend the 2005 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta. The following year, Harry was in Lesotho to visit again Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek (which he first toured in 2004), and along with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho launched Sentebale: The Princes' Fund for Lesotho, a charity to aid children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. He has also granted his patronage to a number of other organisations, including WellChild, Dolen Cymru, and MapAction.^[44] To aid Sentebale, as well as the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Centrepoint, Harry and his brother organised the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, on 1 July 2007.

Sports have also been a way that Harry has helped charities and other organisations, such as when he trained as a Rugby Development Officer for the Rugby Football Union in 2004 and then coached students in schools in order to encourage them to learn the sport. He has also participated in polo matches, like his brother and father, in order to raise money for charitable causes.^[14]

On 6 January 2009, Harry and his brother Prince William were granted their own royal household by their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. It has three main staff members, supported by a "small" team. Sir David Manning, the former British ambassador to Washington, will work as a part-time adviser to the princes. Previously, William and Harry's affairs had been handled by the office of their father at Clarence House in central London. The brothers' new household released a statement – complete with their own cyphers at the top – announcing that they have established their own office at nearby St. James's Palace to look after their public, military and charitable activities.^[45] Harry's cypher is similar to his brother's, but displays an H in a shade of blue similar to that used by his mother. In September, Prince William and Prince Harry set up The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry to enable The Princes to take forward their charitable ambitions.The Foundation is the culmination of The Princes’ charitable lives so far.^[46][47][48]

Prince Harry (on left) with Prince William in 2009

In March 2012, Prince Harry led an official visit to Belize as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.^[49][50] He continued to the Bahamas and Jamaica, where the current Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller is considering severing ties between Jamaica and the constitutional monarchy, ^[51] During his visit to Jamaica, he stayed at a private five-bedroom, two-story villa with a private pool and beach access at Half Moon, A RockResort (a place that since the 1980s has been popular with the British Royal Family), located on Jamaica's North Coast near Montego Bay, and reportedly interacted well with the staff there, displaying his late mother's ability to relate to different groups of people.^[52]

Personal life and relationships[link]

Prince Harry enjoys playing many sporting activities, playing competitive polo, as well as skiing and motocross.^[14] Harry also earned a reputation in his youth for being rebellious, leading the tabloid press to label him as a "wild child".^[53] He was found at age 17 smoking cannabis and partaking in under-age drinking with his friends, would clash physically with paparazzi outside nightclubs,^[53] and was photographed at Highgrove House at a "Colonial and Native" themed costume party wearing a Nazi German Afrika Korps uniform with a swastika armband.^[54] He later issued a public statement apologising for his behaviour.^[55]

Prince Harry is a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.^[56]

In January 2009, the British tabloid News of the World revealed a video made by Harry three years previously, in which he referred to a Pakistani fellow officer cadet as "our little Paki friend" and later called a soldier wearing a cloth on his head a "raghead". These terms were described by David Cameron as "unacceptable",^[57] and by The Daily Telegraph as "racist",^[57] and a British Muslim youth organisation called the Prince a "thug",^[58] a statement that was later retracted.^[59] Clarence House immediately issued an apology from Harry, who stated that no malice was intended in his remarks.^[60] A former British MP and Royal Marine, Rod Richards, said that such nicknames were common amongst military comrades, stating "in the Armed Forces people often used to call me Taffy. Others were called Yankie, Oz or Kiwi or whatever. I consider Paki as an abbreviation for Pakistani. I don't think on this occasion it was intended to be offensive."^[61] It later emerged that Prince Harry had personally apologised to the soldier.^[62]

While Harry's personal relationships have not been followed as much as those of his brother, most media attention has been focused on his relationship with Chelsy Davy. In an interview conducted for his 21st birthday, Harry referred to Davy as his girlfriend, and the press reported at that time that the couple had been together for 18 months, contradicting earlier reports that they were no longer together.^[63] Harry and Davy were also seen together publicly at the Concert for Diana. Chelsy also accompanied Harry to the wedding of Harry's cousin, Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly in May 2008, where she was introduced to the Queen for the first time. But, in early 2009 it was reported in the media that the pair had parted ways.^[64] Later that year the pair were photographed together at a rugby match, seemingly going public again with their relationship.^[65] As of 2010, Harry and Davy are no longer together following Davy's departure from England. In 2011, Harry confirmed the rumors by proclaiming himself "100 per cent single". ^[66]

Titles, styles, honours and arms[link]

Titles and styles[link]

Royal styles of Prince Harry of Wales
Reference style	His Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

• 15 September 1984 – present: His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales

The Prince's style and title in full is His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales. As a British prince, Harry holds no surname; however, as with the other male-line grandchildren of Elizabeth II, he uses the name of the area over which his father holds title; i.e., Wales. Past precedent is that such surnames are dropped from usage in adulthood, after which either title alone, or Mountbatten-Windsor is used when necessary.^[67] Prince Harry, however, continues to use Wales as his surname for military purposes and is known as Captain Harry Wales in such contexts.^[68] If his father succeeds to the throne he will be known as His Royal Highness The Prince Henry. Traditionally, male-line members of British royalty receive a dukedom a few hours before their marriage, the most recent being Prince William of Wales, who became Duke of Cambridge.

Military ranks[link]

• 13 April 2006 – 13 April 2008: Cornet (Second Lieutenant), The Blues and Royals^[18]
• 13 April 2008 – 16 April 2011: Lieutenant, The Blues and Royals^[69]
• Since 16 April 2011: Captain, The Blues and Royals attached to Army Air Corps^[39]

Honours[link]

See also List of honours of the British Royal Family by country

Appointments

• 6 March 2012 – : Honorary Fellow of the University of the West Indies^[70]

Medals

• 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
• 5 May 2008: Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan^[35]
• 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

Honorary military appointments[link]

Canada

• 10 November 2009 – : Canadian Ranger^[71]

United Kingdom

• 3 October 2008 – : Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington^[72]
• 8 August 2006 – : Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving^[73]

Arms[link]

Arms of Prince Harry of Wales Notes On his 18th birthday, Prince Harry was granted his own personal coat of arms, consisting of the arms of the sovereign in right of the United Kingdom with a label for difference. Adopted 15 September 2002 Escutcheon Quarterly 1st and 4th gules three lions passant guardant in pale or armed and langed azure 2nd or a lion rampant gules armed and langued azure within a double tressure flory counterflory of the second 3rd azure a harp or stringed argent Other elements The whole differenced by a Label of five points Argent the first, third and fifth points charged with an Escallop Gules Symbolism As the grandchild of the sovereign, Prince Harry's coat of arms has a label of five points. The escallops (seashells) allude to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whose Spencer coat of arms includes three escallops argent.

Ancestry[link]

Through his maternal grandfather, Prince Harry is descended from King Henry IV of France, King Charles II and King James II and VII. Through his mother, both from The Earl Spencer and The Baron Fermoy Families, Harry is of English, Scottish, American descent and of remote Irish descent.

Prince Harry is descended from the kings and queens of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom with surviving offspring from William I.^[74] He is also descended from many of the pre-Union monarchs of Scotland and the pre-Conquest monarchs of England. Through his paternal grandfather, he is also a descendant of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.

See also[link]

• British prince
• British Royal Family
• Canadian Royal Family
• Line of succession to the British Throne
• Genealogy of the British Royal Family

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prince Henry of Wales

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Prince Henry of Wales

• Prince Harry's eulogy to Princess Diana delivered on 31 August 2007
• Prince Harry's interview with NBC's Matt Lauer
• Royal.gov.uk – Prince Harry^{[dead link]}
• Prince Harry at His Hottest – slideshow by Life magazine
• Personal Profile – Prince Harry – From Prince of Wales official Site
• Illustrated biography of Prince Harry
• Prince Harry Not Going to Iraq on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)
• Prince Harry of Wales at the Internet Movie Database