Prince Harry walks around a military base in Helmand province on his recent tour of duty in Afghanistan. His deployment meant he could step back from the public eye and live in contrast to his privileged upbringing.
(CNN) -- Prince Harry's last visit to the United States, in August 2012, did not end well, after photographs of him romping naked around a Las Vegas hotel suite were published worldwide -- just weeks before he began his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
"I probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down," he said in an interview a few weeks later. "It was probably a classic example of me probably being too much army, and not enough prince." Harry argued at the time that it happened in a private area and that he should have been able to expect a certain amount of privacy.
Expect him to redress the balance then on his next visit to the United States, which begins on Thursday. And he won't be stopping in Las Vegas.
His Private Secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, has reassuringly confirmed that the prince will "fulfil his duties with his inimitable style in all he does."
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He has a point. No-one does royal tours quite like Prince Harry, and he's clearly fond of the United States, visiting several times during the years, both in official and private capacities.
This is the prince who dispensed with handshakes when he met Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller in March 2012 and gave her a hug instead (he said he had heard that she liked hugs.) On the same day he also challenged Olympic multi-medallist Usain Bolt to a race and then went on to impersonate Bob Marley during a state dinner.
If there is a Usain Bolt moment in the U.S., it will be on a baseball diamond In New York on Tuesday. But striking a baseball isn't as easy as it looks -- has Harry been practicing? He is competitive and will at least be on more of a level playing field when he captains a polo team during a match in Connecticut on Wednesday. It's a sport he excels at, but such events are as much about socializing -- and Harry's presence is fast turning it into the society event of the year. This is, after all, the man who ultimately has the power to turn women into princesses -- or at least duchesses.
But Harry isn't coming to the United States to find a wife, officially at least. Instead, he's carrying out a dual role: representing the interests of his charities and those of the United Kingdom. He's a big asset for the British government, able to attract A-list political, corporate and showbiz guests to receptions at tour stops in Washington, Denver and New York.
A royal source has described his visit, which also includes a visit to a community devastated by Hurricane Sandy, as "gentle diplomacy." The source also tells me one core element of the tour will be the weekend Warrior Games in Colorado, which are best described as the Paralympics for injured and wounded war veterans. Lowther-Pinkerton, himself a former special forces officer, describes Harry as a "soldier's soldier" who wants to highlight the commitment and sacrifice of "our wounded warriors."
Like any serving officer, Harry will have at the back of his mind that one day he could be wounded in combat. Expect then to see a very sombre and thoughtful Prince Harry/Captain Wales in ceremonial uniform when he lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday. For Prince Harry is a soldier and a prince: both will be on duty for this tour, if a bit more prince than during his last visit.
And those lucky enough to meet him shouldn't forget to ask if his pregnant sister-in-law Kate -- the Duchess of Cambridge -- is expecting a girl or a boy this summer. That would create headlines -- and for much happier reasons than last time.
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Princess Diana, from left, Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles gather for the commemorations of VJ Day on August 19, 1995, in London.
Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his son Prince Harry stand for the anthems during the Wales versus Scotland game in Cardiff, Wales, on February 17, 1996.
Left to right: Princes William, Harry and their father Prince Charles wait in front of the Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony of Diana Princess of Wales on September 6, 1997.
Prince Harry stands in the Drawing School on May 12, 2003, between two of the works he completed while studying at Eton College. His work involves a mixture of painting and printing, and reflects his habit of using animals as his starting point.
Prince Harry takes part in the Wall Game at Eton College in March 2003.
The youngest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry makes a slice of toast in his house kitchen situated in the house library, which is the preserve of the senior House prefects, in March 2003 at Eton College.
Britain's Prince Harry, right, and his father The Prince Of Wales play polo for The BFF/Highgrove Team in a match for The Indian Cavalry Polo Trophy in Tidworth, England, on July 12, 2003.
Prince Harry paints in Eton College's new Drawing Room on May 12, 2003.
A man reads the New York Post newspaper on January 13, 2005, featuring the "Royal Nazi" headline about Prince Harry who attended a fancy dress party wearing a khaki uniform with an armband emblazoned with a swastika.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry share a joke as they watch Prince Charles and his bride Camilla Duchess of Cornwall leave St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, following their marriage blessing on April 9, 2005.
Prince Harry takes part in the Trooping Of New Colours alongside his fellow officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy on June 21, 2005, in Sandhurst, England.
Prince Harry sitting below the turret of his Spartan armored vehicle as he communicates with other units by radio, in the desert in Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan, on February 20, 2008. The 23-year-old, an officer in the Household Cavalry regiment, secretly served for several weeks in the volatile southern province of Helmand.
Prince Harry skis with the Walking with the Wounded team, who have gathered on the island of Spitsbergen, Norway -- situated between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole -- for their last days of preparation before setting off to the North Pole by foot on March 29, 2011.
Prince Harry climbs on board a specially decorated golf buggy as he goes on a tour of Harbour Island in Nassau, Bahamas, on March 4, 2012. The Prince was visiting the Bahamas as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II.
Left to right: Carole Coe, Prince Harry and Peter Phillips enjoy the atmosphere as they watch track cycling at the Velodrome on August 7, 2012 at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan as an Army helicopter pilot, the UK military announced on September 7, 2012.
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