'I'm a royal expert and Prince Harry's return to the UK told us one thing'

He was once the cheeky chap with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, but the last five years have turned Prince Harry's life upside down. By stepping down from his position as a senior royal, he left behind everything he knew - his upbringing, his position and, most challengingly of all, his family.

However, as he geared up to celebrate his 41st birthday, the Duke of Sussex looked to have turned a corner when he returned to the UK for a packed schedule of charity visits earlier this week. The public were afforded a rare glimpse of the carefree and playful Harry that once had him topping every list as the most popular royal.

Sources triumphantly declared that the Duke was in a "good headspace" ahead of his return and it certainly looked that way as he attended the annual WellChild Awards and, among many special moments, had a balloon sword-fight with the children.

It's a cause which has been dear to his heart for almost two decades and he used the event to say as much.

"I still remember my very first WellChild Awards, 18 years ago - before the beard, the hair, you know how it is - I walked into the room, and within about three minutes I realised two things: the love and energy in the room was palpable, so too was the unpredictability!" he said.

And, after seeing his much-loved Sentebale charity crumble this year at the centre of a very public row and investigation by the Charity Commission, we can only imagine that moments like this are all the sweeter.

While friends say the Duke is "pining" for his life in the UK and longs to introduce his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to where he grew up, the fact is, he could simply enjoy his time as a devoted husband and a proud father and live a life of idle pleasure in the Californian sunshine.

However, he has chosen to use his platform to promote causes he cares about, and to use his oft-quoted phrase "service is universal", he proved he still wants to do good by making a personal donation of £1.1 million to BBC's Children in Need, even though he is not a working royal.

While the events of the past five years will certainly join the ranks of the biggest royal scandals of all time, if he wants to use his platform to do good, then we should applaud him for it.