Ken Wharfe, who was responsible for safeguarding Prince Harry and Prince William in 1986 and served as Princess Diana's bodyguard between 1988 and 1993, recounted the episode. According to Daily Express - Main, Charles Ray described how Wharfe gave Harry a radio to entertain him when bored, but one day the officer realized the prince had gone out of the palace gates and across the road to a record shop, leaving Wharfe aghast. Wharfe feared he would lose his job after misplacing Harry during this incident, though it remains unknown whether there were any consequences beyond his fear.
The exact age of Harry at the time is unclear, with reports suggesting he was slightly older than five or seven, and the specific record shop he visited has not been identified. Wharfe also tasked young Harry with running errands around Kensington Palace to keep him occupied. During another incident, Harry asked to visit his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes, with Wharfe agreeing provided Harry checked in on his return.
I remember Ken Wharfe the royal protection officer and Harry would come up to him at various times and he'd say, 'Oh can I be a policeman today?' And he'd actually give him a radio and so they would talk to each other when they were at Kensington Palace. And actually one [day], Ken sort of decided, 'Actually, I better check in where he is.' And he was actually across the road, he was slightly older than five or seven, and he had actually gone out of the gates and across the road to a record shop, Ken was aghast at this and had to go and get him. So this, I'm reined in, I'm a poor child, you know, he hasn't got a clue what it was like, he really hasn't.
According to Daily Express - Main, Ken Wharfe described how he later called Fellowes to check on Harry's whereabouts, only to learn she had sent him back earlier. These anecdotes contrast with Prince Harry's own perspective on his childhood; he told Oprah Winfrey that a highlight of his life in the United States was being able to take his son Prince Archie on bike rides, something he was never able to do as a child. However, royal expert Charles Ray believes Harry 'didn't have a bad childhood' and 'hasn't got a clue what it was like' regarding his claims of being overly restricted.
The full context and timing of Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey, as well as how his claims compare to other accounts from his youth beyond these anecdotes, remain unknown.
So we did that four or five times, gone to the chef, gone to the flower seller whatever, in the end he said, 'can I go down and see Aunt Jane?'
About 20 minutes later, I rang Jane and said, 'have you sent Harry back yet?' She said, 'I sent him back ten minutes ago'.