ARMY-MAD HARRY WAS A CRACKSHOT EVEN AT SEVEN

THE Princess appreciated Harry’s passion for all things military, and one day in 1992 she asked if I would take her and the boys to a shooting range. I contacted the Metropolitan Police Firearms Training Unit in Lippitts Hill, Essex, where Scotland Yard’s personal protection officers train, for a private shoot. Harry was beside himself with excitement: this was his dream come true. To add to the fun, Diana invited a few of her sons’ friends. The children were shown firearms used by police officers, and examples of weapons used by criminals such as sawn-off shotguns. After everyone had been issued with protective earmuffs, a tour of the camp began with safety drills. Harry was itching to get on the range, but every time he thought his moment had come, there was more to learn. During a video response test, the boys watched a simulated hostage scenario, with a gunman holding a baby. Harry, who was just seven, quickly spotted that police couldn’t open fire because of the risk of hitting the infant. There followed a real-life simulation: we placed Diana, William and Harry in vehicles that were then, without warning, subjected to pyrotechnic explosions. Protection officers, including myself, threw ourselves over seats to demonstrate life-saving techniques — great fun for the boys, but also a preparation for their lives as high-profile potential targets in a dangerous world. Harry’s levels of concentration were better than his brother’s. William was quick to belittle him, saying that Harry ‘is too young to understand things’, but Diana scolded him: ‘Oh shut up, William, we’ll see who’s been concentrating in a minute.’ Her instinct

proved right. Harry was an exceptional shot for his tender age, determined to do his best when firing a gun like the real soldier he wanted to be. Both boys were good, but Harry was the star. He hit the bullseye time after time, and was given the near perfect target as a memento. He cherished it, and I am sure his success that day made him even more determined to follow a career in the military, for which he was so well suited.