Like the frog who was kissed by a fair maiden and turned into a Prince, Prince Harry has been transformed in the past ten days from the Royal family's dypsomaniac-in-chief into its principal asset.
His tour of the Caribbean and Brazil to celebrate the Jubilee and promote Britain abroad came to an end last night, with Harry playing in a polo match in support of his Lesotho kid's charity, Sentebale. It was the final chapter in an amazing ten days which has seen Prince Harry not so much shake off his reputation as a party boy Playboy prince, but demonstrate that a fun-loving nature is not neccesarily incompatible with a life of Royal duty.
In the process, he has not just reinvented himself, but also massively improved the standing of the Royal Family in the eyes of a large swathe of the world.
As UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who joined Harry for the launch of the Great initiative at Rio's Sugarloaf mountain, said: "Prince Harry is worth a thousand politicians. As you can see he has extraordinary celebrity pulling power. The way he's approached things here in Brazil sums up what we're most proud about with the Royal Family."
Any prince can arrive at a polo match in a horse-drawn carriage, but it was typical of the new Prince Harry to take the reins. The 2012 Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup closed Prince Harry's Official Tour of Brazil. Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso from the Lesotho Royal family in response to the plight of the neediest and most vulnerable of Lesotho's children.
Prince Harry competed at full tilt in the game - even if some observers suspected the opposition were slightly reluctant to go for the harder tackles.
Nelson Almeida, AFP / Getty Images
Prince Harry leaves the field, holding a bottle of Royal Salute Whisky, after winning the match.
Prince Harry is given the trophy after defeating the St. Regis team.
Nelson Almeida, AFP / Getty Images
Prince Harry played a game of that most British of sports, cricket, during a visit to a favela on Saturday in Rio De Janeiro.
Prince Harry repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to throw himself whole heartedly into whatever activity was scheduled. Here, he runs during the cricket match.
Favela children watch the cricket game.
The Complexo do Alemao is a sprawling favela that is home to 200,000 desperately poor people. There was a police shoot-out with drug dealers at a neighbouring favela while Harry was in town.
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Prince Harry holds 3 year old Mayara Pereira as he visits the favela. "The most important thing for me in my life is kids," he said later. "I don't know whether I got that from my mum and my father, but I just have this massive kid inside me."
Prince Harry leaves the Complexo do Alemao with a military escort. Brazilian authorities claim the favela has been reformed since police and soldiers stormed the area in 2010 to evict drug dealers.
Most of Prince Harry's enagements in Brazil entailed a sporting dimension. Here, he plays rugby with children during a Premiership Rugby training session on Flamengo Beach.
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Prince Harry shows off his competitive streak as he plays rugby.
Harry participates in a game of beach volleyball, which is being featured at the London Olympic games this summer.
Prince Harry poses with Brazilian beach volleyball player and twice an Olympic silver medalist (2000 and 2004), Adriana Behar, after the match.
Prince Harry took part in a fun run and donned a William mask given to him by another competitor during the final stages of the race.
William is likely to have been highly amused by Harry's stunt. He was apparently 'crying with laughter' when Harry jump-started to beat the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt, in a 50m sprint.
