Prince Harry had the best years of his life before meeting Meghan Markle.

In 1997, following Princess Diana’s death, Prince Charles visited South Africa. According to author Robert Hardman in his 2018 book “Queen of the World,” the tour coincided with Prince Harry’s half-term school break, so he joined his father for the said tour.

Later on, Prince Harry admitted that the African trip has helped him “get away from all of it” referring to the emotional turmoil he experienced after losing his mom. Although it was tinged with sadness, Prince Harry reportedly ended up having “the best day of his life.”

On the said trip, Prince Charles and Prince Harry were photographed with the Spice Girls. In one snap, the Duke of Cambridge was photographed grinning from ear to ear in his suit as he stood between Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton who both held his hands. Bunton aka Baby Spice was also seen clasping Prince Charles hands and kissing both princes on the cheek.

Prince Harry, who was “fussed over” with his encounter with the five singers, described it as the best day of his life. All these happened even before he met his wife-to-be.

During the trip, Prince Charles also delivered a speech to thank the Africans for their warm welcome and sympathy following Princess Diana’s passing.

“In the end, he thanked all South Africans for their sorrow, praised Diana’s work in the fields of Aids and landmines, and saluted the way she ‘brought a real difference to the lives of very many people on this continent and elsewhere,’” Prince Charles said.

In related news, Prince Harry and Markle are reportedly moving to Africa temporarily to ease the tension that arise between them and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

According to Rebecca Perring, royal correspondent of Daily Mail, they might stay in the continent for six months. She added that it will be a good opportunity to fulfill Prince Harry’s dream of secondment to Africa as he always wanted to do a foreign sabbatical for many years to focus on education and environmental issues.

Prince Harry and Prince William were last seen together on Sunday. However, the two dukes only added fuel to their rumored feud as they appeared distant and never talked to each other.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a musical performance as they attend a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House on March 11, 2019 in London. Getty Images/Chris Jackson