A peek inside Prince Harry’s ‘man cave’: Duke of Sussex offers a glimpse into his private study – complete with military badges, a model helicopter and ornate candles

Many fathers in their 40s take to setting up a sanctuary, or ‘man cave’, in the house – and it seems that royalty is no different, as yesterday Prince Harry offered an insight into his personal office nook.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Meghan Markle shared a clip of herself gifting her husband one of her As Ever chocolate bars before Valentine’s Day – and offered fans a glimpse of his custom set-up.

A beaming Prince Harry sat at a desk with a laptop balanced on a stack of books, while behind him sat a framed image of two pandas, a model helicopter and a partially-concealed poster where just the word ‘Papa’ was visible.

There was also huge, ornate candles, various pieces of artwork and a diffuser – while military badges, framed and protected in glass, featured prominently.

And at Harry’s feet was a very helpful office worker – the couple’s beagle, Mia, who was lounging on a dog bed.

Read on to explore the selection of customised decorations and trinkets on show in the Duke’s personal hub…

1. Painting of two pandas

Amid the helicopter and badges, eagle-eyed onlookers may have spotted an image of two pandas surrounded by a dark oval frame on Harry’s white cabinet.

While it is perhaps hard to decipher the specific meaning behind the panda painting, it may hold links to Harry’s appearance on the popular US talk show Jimmy Fallon in September 2024.

The episode of the Tonight Show saw the prince walk through a ‘haunted maze’ with the host as part of his Halloween experience.

At one stage, the prince screamed and swore when he mistook a woman with white makeup and black rings around her eyes for a panda.

The woman, equipped with a knife, said ‘hello’ to the duke before revealing he was actually staring at a reflection of her as she ran around the corner attempting to thrust the knife towards him.

In response, Prince Harry let out a mighty scream and swore, before Fallon chimed in and mocked him, saying: ‘You’re afraid of pandas,’ to which the Duke replied, ‘No! I’m not, I’m not.’

Perhaps the panda portrait was a humorous gift from Fallon to remind his royal guest of that terrifying moment or, rather, Meghan’s lighthearted way of poking fun at her skittish husband.

2. Model helicopter

It’s no secret that the prince is a firm fan of flying, with Harry first awarded his helicopter wings in 2010 before later going on to serve in the Army as an Apache helicopter pilot.

During his 2012 tour of Afghanistan, Harry helped provide helicopter support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces operating throughout Helmand province.

It therefore seems fitting that his man cave also features a mini helicopter replica.

The prince previously described how his military career ‘saved him’ after the death of Princess Diana, by helping him ‘turn his pain into purpose’.

During an interview with US host Anderson Cooper in early 2024, Harry said he was a ‘really good candidate for the military’ because he was a ‘young man in his 20s’ who was ‘suffering from shock’.

He continued: ‘But then I was in the front seat of an Apache shooting it, flying it, monitoring four radios simultaneously, and being there to save and help anybody that was on the ground with a radio screaming, “We need support, we need air support.” That was my calling. I felt healing from that weirdly.’

3. Ergonomic office chair and footstool

As Harry joyfully received his chocolate gift from Meghan, the prince appeared to be sat in a grey ergonomic office chair fit with a footstool for extra comfort.

The sophisticated chair, which also features arm rests on both sides, will likely have been a deliberate choice by the prince to help mitigate any chance of back pain, particularly given his previous history of injury.

In May 2015, Harry suffered from a back injury after he fell from his horse during a polo game which required urgent treatment on the pitch.

While Harry was determined to continue playing, he was later seen holding his lower back in agony and stretching in a bid to ease the pain following the injury.

The prince, who is an avid fan of polo, has also been pictured falling of a horse on numerous other occasions, leaving many royal fans worried that he may suffer long-term damage to his back.

4. ‘Papa’ poster

Like many proud fathers, Prince Harry’s love for his children was also made clear in his décor choices- with a heartwarming print with the word ‘PAPA’ on the front spotted on the partially concealed display in the background.

It’s possible the father-of-two may have been gifted the sweet print by his wife, on behalf of their children Prince Archie, six, or Princess Lilibet, four – and clearly highlights their close bond as a family.

Before the birth of his first child in May 2019, Harry had long spoken publicly about his desire to be a father and how becoming a ‘fun’ uncle to his brother, Prince William’s children had made him yearn for a family of his own.

When Harry was asked what he loves most about fatherhood during an interview in 2022, his heartwarming response was clear.

‘All of it’, he told NBC’s Hoda Kotb.

Beaming, the Duke added: ‘I love it. I love every part of it. I’ve always wanted to be a dad,’ he said. ‘I’ve always wanted to have my own kids and now I have got two little people who I’m responsible for.’

5. Miscellaneous artwork

Against the more personalised pieces, a number of miscellaneous displays of artwork can also be seen on proud display in Harry’s ‘man cave’ – including a blue image with a golden frame and a red floral card.

It’s no secret that the prince is an avid fan of artwork, having famously gifted Meghan with a romantic painting titled Everybody Needs Somebody To Love by British artist Van Donna in 2016.

The extravagant piece, estimated to cost in the thousands, is made up of a black stencil image of a boy and a girl and was purchased by the prince at London’s Walton Fine Arts Gallery.

According to reports by People, the prince had told a local collector that he was looking for a gift for an ‘important person’.

6. Harry’s military badges

On proud display on the prince’s large cabinet are a collection of Ukrainian Armed Forces unit badges and chevrons – a fond tribute to his support for the war-torn nation in their fight against Russia.

The badges were a special gift to the prince from members of Team Ukraine during the Invictus Games in Vancouver in February 2025.

The multitude of badges on display include the Marine Corps, Air Assault Forces, the third Assault Brigade, the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, the National Police Assault Brigade, alongside several others.

A Ukrainian National Guard ‘Rubizh’ Brigade badge was also visible in the background of Meghan’s video which holds particular poignance for the prince.

During the February 2025 Invictus Games, the prince wore the patch of the Ukrainian National Guard’s 4th ‘Rubizh’ Brigade on his jacket – a clear signal of his solidarity with the country.

The prince has previously been incredibly vocal about his support for the war-torn nation and in September declared that he would do ‘everything possible’ to help Ukrainian soldiers and injured service personnel during a surprise trip to Kyiv.

7. White furniture

Keeping to the theme of their airy, cosy Montecito home, the Duke of Sussex looks to have kept on theme with white storage drawers in the background of his little nook – featuring a granite-style shelf to display the miscellaneous framed memorabilia. 

8. Dark brown desk

To contrast the all-white and cream furnishings, the Prince opted for a dark brown, wooden desk – which stands out in the otherwise lightened space.

9. Mia the beagle

While the prince may have been hard at work in his man cave, he was certainly not alone – his beloved rescue beagle Mamma Mia was curled up underneath his desk.

Harry and Meghan rescued 10-year-old Mia from an animal testing centre in Virginia in 2022, with the adorable pooch an integral member of the Sussexes family – even appearing as part of their 2024 festive greetings card.

And in a rather cute twist, Mia was spotted in the video fast asleep in the same wooden dog bed which belonged to Harry and Meghan’s former beagle, Guy, who sadly died in early 2025.

Meghan adopted Guy when she was living in Toronto and working as an actress. She brought him to the UK when she married Harry in 2018.

The sweet pup was spotted chewing on a dog biscuit in the rustic bed which now lives in Harry’s man cave during a trailer for the duchess’s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, in January 2025.

10. His wife’s chocolate

The centrepiece of the clip, of course, was Meghan’s As Ever chocolate.

The Duke of Sussex had an ear-to-ear grin as his wife sauntered over with a box of the treats, which she first released last year. 

In the video, Meghan approached Harry and handed over the chocolate – to which the Prince said ‘Oh’ before turning his response into an ‘Oooh’ and picking out a bar.

A beaming Harry looked at the camera – holding up the bar – and said ‘yes please’ before proceeding to hand back the box. 

He then said ‘love you’, with a cheeky smile still on his face.

The bars of chocolate – which sold out within minutes following their initial release – use Meghan’s ‘signature ingredients’ from her As Ever brand such as raspberry spread and flower sprinkles, to ‘spark a little sweet nostalgia’.

Festive flavours on offer include dark chocolate with raspberry spread and sea salt, white chocolate topped with flower sprinkles and hemp hearts and milk chocolate with shortbread cookies and bee pollen.

For the project, Meghan linked up with renowned chocolatier Jonathan Grahm of Compartés to create ‘the most coveted set of the season’ – marketing at $12 a pop.

11. Candles

As Meghan panned away from her husband, she showed more décor on Harry’s desk – which included two huge candles, in equally sizeable candle-holders which appear to be made of wood. 

One was darker in tone while a second, made of bleached wood, was also shown in the video. 

His wife Meghan also sells candles in her As Ever range – so it’s no surprise they’re a welcome addition around the house.

12. Diffuser

Adding to the candles, a diffuser also sat on Prince Harry’s desk.

The scented reeds were placed inside a dark grey, artisanal holder which complemented the dark shade of Harry’s desk, in contrast to the all-white furniture around.