The full rundown of the highly anticipated royal wedding on May 19.
It's the picture that's hard to shake: Prince Harry, at just 12 years old and with the eyes of the world fixed on his face, hanging his head low as he followed his mother's coffin down the streets of London.
It was September 6, 1997, and millions of people all over the world were still reeling from the news of Princess Diana's death just one week earlier after that horror car crash in Paris.
Two billion people tuned in to farewell her, and few would ever forget the sight of the young princes sadly trailing the funeral procession. Diana may have been "the People's Princess" — but to William and Harry, she was simply "mum", news.com.au reported.
But next Saturday will mark a decisive turn of the page for Harry.
When billions tune in to watch him marry his Hollywood love Meghan Markle, the heartbreaking image of the grieving prince will finally be replaced in the minds of the public.
Earl Spencer, Prince Charles, Prince William, Harry and Prince Charles stand alongside the hearse containing the coffin of Diana after her funeral service. Photo / Getty
It would take 20 years for Harry to finally reveal the torture he felt on the bleak day of his mother's funeral. As he told Newsweek in 2017: "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."
William echoed his sentiments, describing it last year as "one of the hardest things I have ever done."
Diana's loss was felt by everyone, but to none more so than William and Harry — who was weeks out from turning 13 on September 15 when she died — and would now face the rest of their lives in the glare of the spotlight without her.
By Harry's own admission, the period that would follow was "total chaos".
The party-boy Prince's teen years were infamous, characterised by boozy nights out, cannabis use, and scuffles with the paparazzi.
The prince was snapped groping a young woman. Photo / The Sun
Then, in 2005, a 20-year-old Harry made the undisputedly bad decision to dress as a Nazi for a private costume party, and all hell broke loose after a leaked photo splashed across the front page of The Sun.
Seven years later, in 2011, the Prince again landed in hot water with the palace when he was photographed naked — and surrounded by scantily-clad women — in Las Vegas during a game of strip billiards.
This photo outraged many members of the community. Photo / The Sun
A bit more of Harry than people were expecting. Photo / The Sun
By contrast, his brother William had wed college sweetheart Kate Middleton the previous year in a lavish royal wedding on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey, and was settling into life as a husband.
It seemed that the lost little red-haired boy at Diana's funeral was still trying to find his way.
Early last year, Harry admitted as much in an extraordinarily frank interview with Telegraph columnist Bryony Gordon.
"I just couldn't put my finger on it," he said. "I just didn't know what was wrong with me."
The prince explained that his life had been in turmoil, and he'd been "very close to total breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and lies and misconceptions are coming to you from every angle".
Harry added that bottling up all his feelings about the death of Diana had severely impacted his life.
"I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well," he admitted.
"I thought that thinking of her was only going to make me sad and not going to bring her back. So from an emotional side, I was, like, 'Right, don't ever let your emotions be part of anything.'"
Looking back, it's clear Harry was committed to following his own advice. But his behaviour began to shift when he hit his mid-20s and he realised the opportunities he was wasting.
"I needed to fix the mistakes I was making," he told Newsweek last year.
"My mother died when I was very young ... I didn't want to be in the position I was in, but I eventually pulled my head out of the sand, started listening to people and decided to use my role for good. I am now fired up and energised and love charity stuff, meeting people and making them laugh."
Photo / The Sun
Twenty-one years later, and we're seeing a man who has come into his own.
No longer is the grown-up Harry living in the shadow of that lonely boy who trailed behind his mother's coffin — instead, he's a strong public figure, a royal who has finally accepted the power he wields and is using it for good.
It's been a slow climb to this point, punctuated by an incredible post-military career focused on aiding servicemen and women, advocating for mental health awareness, and working extensively with youth-focused charities.
But Harry's wedding day will be the ultimate turning point.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who announced their engagement in November, will wed next weekend. Photo / AP
The old Harry will finally be left behind when he takes his place alongside former Suits star Meghan Markle and says his vows in St George's Chapel.
Just like on that sombre day more than two decades ago, the eyes of the world will be fixed on Harry once more — only this time, it will be to watch a man who has turned his life around wed the love of his life in a moment of pure joy.
