The 31-year-old has just released his first official Christmas card, with a black and white photo of himself posing with Battle of Britain veteran Tom Neil.
The melt-your-heart moment was taken on September 15, 2015, at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex as they attended 75th anniversary commemorations.
It was also Harry’s birthday that day but he gave the biggest present to Tom – a his seat on a spitfire plane so that the veteran pilot could take part in a special flypast to celebrate the battle’s anniversary.
Tom had been scheduled to fly in another plane that day but when it was grounded at the 11th hour due to mechanical problems, Harry stepped in to save the day.
Harry said it had been an honour to meet the pilot, and the encounter was one of his most memorable moments of the year.
Kensington Palace announced the card with a post on Twitter, saying: “Merry Christmas from Prince Harry.
“Here’s his Christmas card photo showing one of his favourite moments from 2015.”
Speaking from his home in Suffolk, Tom Neil, 95, told the Daily Mail that the card had dropped through his letterbox this morning with a personal message from Harry.
He had no idea he was set to appear on the Prince’s official card, but declared himself ‘delighted’.
“Prince Harry and I are great friends. He’s a lovely chap and he is so keen about everything.
“He went to Afghanistan and to Africa and he’s so interested in wildlife. He shows such enthusiasm about spitfires and the Battle of Britain.
“It’s a joy talking to him. If he reads this, which I’m sure he will, I’d like him to know I’m delighted to be on his Christmas card.”
In a busy year of official duties for Harry, here’s just a few of our other favourite moments with the prince in 2015.
1.Saving the rhinos
A passionate wildlife advocate, just like his mum Diana, Prince Harry rolled up his sleeves once again on a long visit to Namibia to save the endangered rhinos. “De-horning has to be done every two years for it to be effective and can only realistically be done with small populations in open bush,” writes Harry. “My initial task each time was to monitor the heart rate and oxygen levels and help stabilise them as quickly as possible. My responsibilities then grew to taking blood and tissue samples and the de-horning itself.”
2. Helping children
At the end of 2015, Harry hit the beaches of Durban, South Africa, to support the charity Surfers Not Street Children, a project which helps impoverished teens who have been sleeping rough become independent adults by harnessing their love of the surf. On the same South African tour he also inspired children at the Ottery Youth Centre in Cape Town (below), a rehab centre for those linked to gang-related violence.
3. Inspiring wounded soldiers
This year Harry took his Invictus Games, an Olympics-style event for wounded members of the armed forces, to the U.S. that melted hearts all the way to the White House. Here he joins First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at Fort Belvoir military base in Virginia to meet wounded servicemen and women undertaking recovery and rehabilitation programmes.
For more on Harry, and why he’s not ready to settle down anytime soon, click here.
