Prince Charles has long shared a deep and touching connection with his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Born in 1982 and 1984 respectively, the boys are not just Charles’ heirs; they’ve long been two of his greatest supporters.
From championing causes the Prince of Wales spearheaded in his younger years, to promoting their father’s best work, William and Harry have a clear respect for their dad.
But long before they were standing at his side as senior royals (and before Harry stepped down from that role), the brothers were simply Charles’ boys.
Prince Harry greets his father with a kiss while Prince William smiles.
(Getty)
The boys were just 15 and 12 respectively, when their mother Princess Diana died in a car crash, and in the wake of such a devastating loss, Prince Charles has always put William and Harry first.
“One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is tell your children that your other parent has died. How you deal with that, I don’t know,” Prince Harry explained in the 2017 BBC documentary special Diana, 7 Days.
“But he was there for us. He was the one out of two left. And he tried to do his best and to make sure that we were protected and looked after. But he was going through the same grieving process as well.”
We’ve dug through the royal archives to uncover some of their sweetest father-son moments through the decades, from the 1980s all the way into the princes’ teen years.
From family holidays to early royal events and adorable candid moments, these pictures really show the three princes’ incredible connection.
Scroll through to see some of the most touching photos of Charles, William and Harry from the archives.
When Prince Harry was born in 1984, Prince Charles took his firstborn son Prince William along to meet his baby brother at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, where Princess Diana had given birth. This photo was taken moments before the two princes stepped inside to meet the newest royal addition.
This stunning family photo was taken at Kensington Palace in 1985, the year after Harry was born and William became a big brother.
Charles was photographed holding a young William’s hand as he dropped his sons off on Harry’s first day at Mrs Mynors’ nursery school in London, September 1987.
In this snap Harry and William appear to be mucking around together after Charles played in a polo match at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor, in May 1988. The brothers would have only been five and three.
This picture from 1989 shows William riding ahead of his father, while Harry rides on the back of Charles’ bike during a family holiday on Tresco, Scilly Isles.
Like father, like sons! This photo from Beating The Retreat at Kensington Palace in 1989 shows Harry and William all dressed up like their dad in smart suits for the formal occasion.
In 1990 Charles was pictured planting a kiss on Harry’s head as William watched on. The photo was snapped at a polo match where the Prince of Wales was playing.
The father and sons trio were snapped in action during their 1994 Switzerland ski trip, and the young princes’ outfits definitely look like something straight out of the ’90s.
Harry and William stand either side of Charles at Poliver, by the River Dee, on the Balmoral Castle Estate. The royals used to holiday in Balmoral as a family almost every year, and this snap was taken in 1997.
Another photo from their 1997 Balmoral vacation shows the brothers visiting Glen Muick with their father, Charles wearing a traditional kilt again.
Another ski trip in Switzerland! This photo was snapped in 2002, when Harry and William were becoming more public and popular, but here they just looked like happy sons on a holiday with their dad.
Charles shares a moment with William and Harry in this photo taken during the Royal Family’s ski holiday in March 2005. Back then it was common for the royals to sit for official photo calls while on holiday at the European ski destination.
