BRITISH Prince Harry marks his 18th birthday this weekend with a pledge to continue the work his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was unable to finish.

　　In a move that signals his emergence from the shadow of his elder brother William, Harry said he was determined to keep alive the memory of his mother, by plunging his energy into helping charities and good causes.

　　The teenager talked candidly about Princess Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash just over five years ago, in an interview that Royal commentators agreed displayed a remarkable maturity and sensitivity.

　　Harry said his mother had shown “more guts than anybody else” and remained the inspiration for what he wants to achieve in life. “I want to carry on the things that she didn’t quite finish. I have always wanted to, but was too young,” he added.

　　The prince also apologized for his under-age drinking and drug use, which came to light earlier this year, explaining his youthful excesses as a mistake and that “it was never my intention to be that way.”

　　However Harry — who turned 18 yesterday — said that by the time he was 15 the idea of following in his mother’s footsteps had begun to germinate.

　　“The way she got close to people and went for the sort of charities and organizations that everybody else was scared to go near. She got involved in many things that nobody had done before.”

　　(SD-Agencies)