• April 23, 2007
• Vol. 67
• No. 16

Harry & Chelsy Spring Fling

What a difference a girlfriend makes. Just two weeks ago, Prince Harry was pounded by the British press when he got into a scrape with a paparazzo after a night of partying in London. But on a romantic three-week getaway in Barbados with Chelsy Davy, the 22-year-old prince looked blissful as he and his Zimbabwean-born sweetheart sun-worshipped, jet-skied and sampled the island nightlife. The mutual ardor was obvious as they engaged in a rare display of public affection in nearby Antigua April 8 while cheering for England in its Cricket World Cup match against Australia (his side lost). "It shows," says one observer, "how close and comfortable they are."

Staying at a sumptuous Glitter Bay resort with Chelsy's brother Shaun and his girlfriend, Harry and 21-year-old Chelsy are trying to squeeze in as much fun as they can before he deploys to Iraq in a few weeks. "They deserve to be on a paradise island," says longtime royal writer Judy Wade, "because soon she'll be worrying every day." The separation is sure to be a test—one that the couple are ready to withstand, royal watchers wager. Says Wade: "They are more solid than ever."

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A Tragic Loss

Four months into his own military career and thousands of miles from the front lines, Prince William is mourning the death of a fellow soldier and friend in Iraq. On April 5, 2d Lt. Joanna Yorke Dyer, 24—with whom Will trained at Sandhurst—was among five people killed by a roadside bomb near Basra. In a statement, the Palace said, "Jo was a close friend at Sandhurst," and that William "was deeply saddened ... and is very much thinking of her family and friends." As second in line for the throne behind his father, Prince Charles, William, 24—a second lieutenant in the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals regiment—can't serve in combat. Since March 15, he has been in Dorset, undergoing troop-commander training.