Prince Harry turns 30: best banter from the royal joker

In the last 30 years, Prince Harry has fought the Taliban, launched the Invictus Games, trekked in several gruelling expeditions and raised millions of pounds for charity. But one of the prince's most celebrated qualities is his sense of humour. We never got to hear Prince Harry's best man speech at Kate and William's wedding or the reportedly "eye-wateringly rude jokes" he told while Walking with the Wounded – but here are some of the prince's best public quips:

Royal baby banter

As the whole world clamoured to see Prince George after he was born last year, Harry was busy joking about his new duties as an uncle. After meeting the royal baby for the first time, he told reporters: "When I saw him, he was crying, which is just like all babies. It's fantastic to have another addition to the family. I only hope my brother knows how expensive my babysitting charges are!" According to US Weekly, he later compared Prince George to a "young Winston Churchill".

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Naked banter

Prince Harry prompted something of a royal scandal in August 2012 after being pictured naked in a Las Vegas hotel playing strip billiards. The prince solemnly apologised for letting himself and his family down, although many thought he was unfairly pilloried. Two weeks later, the prince made a speech at an awards ceremony for the WellChild charity, his first public event since the incident. The naked pictures were strictly off limits, but the prince prompted laughter from the audience as he began telling them it would be difficult to describe their achievements with words. "Never one to be shy in coming forward, I'll give it a go," he said with a grin.

Lineage banter

Prince Harry has had to endure endless gossip about his physical similarities to James Hewitt, the former lover of his mother Princess Diana. The speculation even prompted Hewitt to release a statement in 2002 denying that he was the prince's father. Nevertheless, Harry has been able to joke about his lineage. When asked by a youngster at a sports event in south-east London if he and Prince William were brothers, he apparently joked: "We're not sure."

Royal baby banter – round two

After Kate Middleton and Prince William announced that they were having a second baby earlier this month, Prince Harry let slip that he was hoping for a little girl. "I can't wait to see my brother suffer more and, with any luck, if it's a girl he'll suffer even greater," Harry joked. "I'd love to see him try and cope with that."

Adventure banter

Prince Harry has taken part in several gruelling expeditions for the Walking with the Wounded charity, including the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest. But it was not the freezing temperatures and 200-mile distances that phased him, it was the "scary" organisers. He prompted a giggle from the Queen as the two royals shook hands with organisers during the launch of the South Pole race at Buckingham Palace last year. As one burly organiser shook his hand, Harry leant towards his grandmother and said: "Shared a tent with him Granny. That's incredibly brave."

Prince William balding banter

Prince Harry has rarely missed an opportunity to tease his older brother about his hair loss – although this video proves that the older prince can give as good as he gets. The short clip was posted a few years ago, but has recently been doing the rounds online.

Trading banter

The brotherly banter continued when the princes hit the BGC Partners trading floor in Canary Wharf to raise millions of pounds for two charities close to their hearts, WellChild and SkillForce. During one joint telephone call, Harry complained that new dad William was taking part in too much "baby chat" on the phones. "He's on the phone, it's all baby chat," Harry said. "I'm much better at helicopter chat." He turned back to William and told him: "Stop flirting, get on with it."