King of waves.
Prince Harry recently took his young son, Prince Archie, to surfing legend Kelly Slater's surf school, sparking speculation that the royal father may be keen to teach his eldest son how to surf.
A photo of the father-son duo atop a jet ski at Slater's Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, was posted and then deleted on Instagram on Wednesday by professional surfer Raimana Van Pastoleer.
Harry, 40, wore a black wetsuit with a surfboard on his lap as he sat behind Van Pastoleer and Archie, 5, on the jet ski.
The photo was included in a clip in which the surfer captioned, “Don't hate, be happy and keep smiling. Brother Harry, let's go to 2025!”
The Tahitian surfer deleted the video before reposting a new version that did not include a photo of Archie.
The post still showed shots of the Duke of Sussex catching a wave, and of him and Van Pastolere smiling in the water with their surfboards.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, 43, rarely share photos of Archie and his three-year-old sister, Princess Lilibet, with the public, except for holiday cards and the occasional Christmas photo.
The Sussexes' 2024 holiday card included a photo of their children outdoors, running into their parents' outstretched arms with the family dogs at their side.
However, Archie and Lilibet's faces cannot be seen in the shot.
Prince Harry reportedly took up surfing after Meghan bought him lessons for his 36th birthday in 2020, the same year they resigned as senior working members of the royal family and moved to Montecito, California.
Since then, Harry is believed to have befriended Van Pastolere.
Known as “Tahitian Royalty,” the surfer has surfed some of the most stunning waves ever documented.
Last October, he posted another video showing Prince Harry facing the waves.
“In Tahiti, we still call you Prince Harry. But at Surf Ranch, that's my brother,” Van Pastoleer captioned the post. “It was an honor to surf with me and Kelly Slater.”
At the beginning of the clip, Harry sat behind Van Pastolere on a jet ski, surfboard in hand. Then the pro surfer shouted at Harry to jump off the jet ski and onto his board. The prince quickly stood on the surfboard and rode the wave for about a minute.
Slater's Surf Ranch is known for its unique 6-foot barrel wave that can last up to 2,300 feet.
It is the only artificial wave to be World Surf League certified, making Slater's Surf Ranch a viable venue for hosting high-level competitions.
Harry's surfing exploits were shared on the same day Meghan made her official return to Instagram, posting a black-and-white video that Harry filmed of her running on the beach and writing “2025” in the sand.
