Prince Harry's $21m birthday present

Prince Harry has received a £9 million ($21.3 million) birthday present from his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The party-loving prince, who is third in line to the throne, inherited the money from his mother's estate when he turned 25 yesterday.

While the Prince will not have access to the full amount until he turns 30, he will start receiving about £300,000 a year in interest payments.

Diana left an estate worth £21 million when she died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

About £6.5 million was set aside for each of her two sons, but the amount grew over the years as it earned substantial interest.

Royal commentator and former press secretary to the Queen Dickie Arbiter said he did not believe the inheritance would make a big difference to Harry's life.

"I doubt whether he'll touch the money because he manages quite well with his army salary," he told Sky News.

"What does he need to spend it on? Very little."

Harry, who is believed to have rekindled his romance with former girlfriend Chelsey Davy, was expected to keep his celebrations low key as he continues training to become an Army Air Corps helicopter pilot.

- AAP