The day Charles told Harry that Hewitt was not his father: It was
the hardest conversation of his life... but the Prince had to end the
cruel gossip

• Harry endured endless gossip about his physical similarity to James Hewitt
• As a soldier, Hewitt was one of young Harry's mentors
  
• He was furious to be recalled from Afghanistan after Press broke embargo

By
Chris Hutchins

Warm-hearted, brave, but also recklessly impulsive, Prince Harry is as complex as he is charismatic.

Here,
in part three of a compelling new biography, we show how he idolised
the soldier who many unfairly whispered was his true father...

Heart to heart: Prince Harry with Prince Charles at the polo

Over dry martinis at Sandringham —
mixed to the servants’ special recipe — there was just one question on
the  Royal Family’s lips: ‘Where’s Harry?’

When
someone joked: ‘He’s confined to barracks — he’s been a naughty boy’,
the Queen smiled. Only she, and a tiny number of the family, were in on
the secret.

The truth was
that while Her Majesty and her guests were beginning their Christmas
celebrations in 2007, 2nd Lieutenant Wales was more than 3,500 miles
away in southern Helmand, war-torn Afghanistan’s most dangerous
province.

Even as his
relatives were plumping up the pillows on their four-poster beds Harry —
the first senior royal to fight on a battlefield since Queen Victoria’s
grandson Maurice in World War I — was surveying the tiny, cell-like
room at Forward Operating Base Delhi that was his temporary home.

‘We
couldn’t believe it when he arrived,’ says Lt Colonel Bill Connor.
‘There was no special security detail, no SAS. He came in like a regular
soldier and that’s how he remained. This was a prince, the third in
line to the British throne, yet he made it known that he wanted to be
treated just as the junior officer he was.’

That
Christmas Day, as the Queen and her party were cheered by well-wishers
outside Sandringham church, Harry Wales and Bill Connor stepped outside
for their morning exercises.

‘We
were actually working out when the Taliban opened up,’ remembers
Connor. ‘It was one of those fire-fights they regularly mounted from
their trenches close by. Harry and I made a run for the buildings — we
had no body armour on, just our PT kits.

Whilethe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
prepare for a life of  settled parenthood, Prince Harry  and Cressida
Bonas are planning to take their first holiday together – on the party
island of Ibiza.

The rave destination boasts the world’s largest nightclub and is inundated every year with party-goers from across Europe.

Both
Harry and Cressida have been working hard in recent months and, other
than a weekend at Glastonbury, they have so far had little time to relax
this summer.

First trip: Prince Harry and his girlfriend Cressida 'Cressie' Bonas are said to be planning a holiday in Ibiza

Cressida took her final exam at the
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance on June 26 and celebrated
with her half-sister Isabella Calthorpe. But she still had to keep her
head down until her final show on July 1.

Harry
had been preparing for his qualification as an Apache gunship
commander, which gives him overall control of the two-man attack
helicopter during missions.

Just over a week ago, he passed ‘with flying colours’, according to his commanding officer, following three years of training.

The
28-year-old also completed a four-month tour of Afghanistan earlier
this year as a co-pilot gunner, and friends say Harry and Cressida now
feel they deserve a break.

Party Prince: Prince Harry, seen in the grey hat
on the left, joined his friends and girlfriend Cressida Bonas, seen on
the right in denim dungarees and a blue hat, at Glastonbury earlier this
month

‘They want to go on holiday together
somewhere in Europe,’ says a friend. ‘Obviously Ibiza is the
frontrunner. Harry has never been there. His friends go to the island
every year but he always misses out.’

The
Prince, who has been to Las Vegas twice in the past year, is known for
his love of partying, as is Cressida, but the idea is also to relax
together.

‘They want to go and chill somewhere – Ibiza is good for that, too,’ adds the friend.

Another
source says: ‘Although everyone thinks they went skiing together in
Verbier in February, they were actually there on separate invitations
from older family members. This summer they want to have a proper
holiday together with friends.’

'The hat': Princess Beatrice at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Are Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice reverting to type after adding stylist Tyne Gibson to their entourage?

Tyne,
29, has asked bohemian designer Julia Cameron to send her examples of
jewelled headdresses for the girls – sparking memories of the
much-maligned ‘pretzel’ hat Beatrice, 24, wore to Prince William’s
wedding.

‘I think Bea would look amazing in one of my bolder Medea designs which feature trailing golden entrails,’ says Julia.

I wonder what the girls’ main stylist, Sarah Hogan, thinks after her hard work adding elegance to their wardrobes?

Congratulations to Chloe Delevingne,
who accepted a proposal of marriage from her property developer
boyfriend Edward Grant on Friday.

Ed got down on one knee to pop the question in Rome during a romantic break.

‘She is totally over the moon,’ says a close pal of the couple.

No
doubt Chloe’s model sisters – Cara, 20, and Poppy, 26 – will be happy
to help her choose the perfect wedding gown for the big day.