Prince Harry ended his latest UK trip with one of his most personal public moments, opening up about Princess Diana, his children and the small family traditions that still help keep his mother’s memory alive.
The Duke of Sussex visited Scotty’s Little Soldiers’ summer festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire on Saturday, where he spent time with bereaved military children and their families. The event came less than 24 hours after Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet reportedly joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for a private family reunion at Highgrove.
Harry spent five days in the UK for a series of engagements last week (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Harry, who served two operational tours in Afghanistan, has been involved with Scotty’s Little Soldiers since 2017 and became the charity’s global ambassador in 2023. The organisation supports children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
During a question-and-answer session with some of the children, Harry was asked whether he does anything special to mark the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death on August 31 or her birthday on July 1. His answer was simple, sweet and instantly emotional.
Prince Harry at Scotty’s Little Soldiers summer festival on Saturday (Image: Getty Images)
‘Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake,’ Harry said, adding that traditions are ‘really, really important’, especially when they are sweet. The remark offered a rare glimpse into the private ways the Sussex family remembers Diana, whose influence continues to shape Harry’s public work and personal life.
The Duke also spoke warmly about Archie and Lilibet when nine-year-old Poppy asked what makes him laugh after a difficult day. Harry admitted that laughter is not always possible in hard moments, but said his dog, his children and something funny on television can help lift him when he needs it.
The Duke took part in goat yoga (Image: Getty Images)
He also gave the children a gentle message about grief, community and support. Some days, he said, people may want to laugh but cannot. In those moments, he pointed to the importance of friends, siblings and the Scotty’s Little Soldiers community, before calling laughter at the end of a hard day ‘the best medicine served’.
The visit was not only emotional; it was also playful. Harry took part in goat yoga, standing on a blue mat, making goat ears with his hands and even lying on his back as goats clambered over him. At one point, a joke from the crowd suggested his security team had failed to protect him when one of the animals stepped too close for comfort.
Harry took selfies with royal fans(Image: Heathcliff O’Malley/Pool The Dai)
Harry then joined in with more festival fun, feeding the goats and racing a three-year-old child toward an inflatable obstacle course, where he was pelted with water bombs. The relaxed scenes showed the Duke throwing himself into the event and connecting easily with the young people the charity supports.
The engagement marked the final day of Harry’s UK visit, which also included events linked to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. But the timing gave the outing extra significance: it followed the confirmed Highgrove family meeting, described by Buckingham Palace as a private family occasion, with no images expected to be released.
For Harry, the festival brought together several defining threads of his life: military service, bereavement support, fatherhood and the legacy of Diana. In a week filled with royal headlines, his quiet admission about lemon drizzle cake may be the moment that lingers longest.
