Prince Harry was launched into a new leading role in the royal family when he took centrestage at the Olympic closing ceremony. In his most important solo royal engagement yet, the third in line to the throne was selected as the figurehead for the spectacular farewell to the Games, which the Queen opened two weeks ago.
The high-profile task of celebrating Britain’s glory at London 2012 fell to the 27-year-old, sitting alongside the Duchess of Cambridge, after a succession of prominent appearances in the crowd at many of the history-making events of the competition. He stepped in after his brother William, the Duke of Cambridge, had to return to work as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in North Wales.