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Footage of King Charles and Prince Harry during a visit to South Africa in the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana's death in 1997 has been widely shared on social media. Fans uploaded clips to the video-sharing platform TikTok.
The recordings of Charles and Harry have resurfaced after the prince recounted details of the trip in his record-breaking memoir Spare. Upon its release in January, it became the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time.
In the memoirs, Harry made a number of critical observations of his family and upbringing. He also discussed for the first time, in detail, the mental and physical effects he experienced after the death of mother Princess Diana when he was just 12 years old.
In the weeks after his mother's death, Charles took his youngest son on a planned visit to South Africa while Prince William was away at school. Harry recounts in Spare that the trip was a "bonding experience" between himself and his father. However, the prince adds that aspects of it were used to bolster Charles' public image, which had suffered after Diana's death in a Paris car crash.
Uploaded to TikTok by user princess.diana.spencer, the viral video has gained over 330,000 views and 28,000 likes. A number of commenters have praised the young prince.
"Harry is so cute," wrote one user, with another adding: "Baby Harry...He talks about this trip in his book."
In Spare, Harry writes that Charles in part wanted his son there on his visit to South Africa because he was concerned about leaving him alone at St. James's Palace so soon after the death of his mother.
"He feared what I might get up to in that big palace all by myself," Harry wrote. "He feared I might glimpse a newspaper, overhear a radio. More, he feared I might be photographed through an open window, or while playing with my toy soldiers in the gardens.
"He could imagine reporters trying to speak to me, shouting questions. 'Hi, Harry, do you miss your mum?'" the prince added.
The trip would include an evening watching the Spice Girls pop group—who were supporters of Charles's charity The Prince's Trust—perform a concert in Johannesburg. There was also a meeting with President Nelson Mandela.
Though excited about the visit and spending time with his father, Harry added that there was an ulterior motive to the trip that had, at its heart, the age-old problem of PR.
"The truth was, Pa's staff hoped a photo of him standing alongside the world's most revered political leader and the world's most popular female musical act would earn him some positive headlines, which he sorely needed," Harry wrote. "Since Mummy's disappearance he'd been savaged. People blamed him for the divorce and thus for all that followed."
The visit, the prince recalled, overall went well with the exception of his first public appearance since Diana's funeral. After Johannesburg, the royal party spent time in KwaZulu-Natal and learned about British history in the area.
"On the way home I told myself the whole trip had been a smash," Harry wrote in Spare. "Not only a terrific adventure, but a bonding experience with Pa. Surely life would now be altogether different."
Relations between father and son are now reportedly strained. Harry revealed in an interview at the time of Spare's release that the pair were not currently speaking.
When asked if he would attend Charles' coronation on May 6 in London, the prince said: "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open."
It was confirmed earlier this month that Harry and Meghan Markle had been contacted by the king's office about the coronation. However, a decision on whether or not they would attend would not be confirmed until closer to the ceremony.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more