Prince Harry Opens Up About What Helps Him Through His Hardest Days After Private Reunion With King Charles

Prince Harry Shares What Makes Him ‘Laugh’ on a ‘Difficult Day’ Hours After King Charles Reunion

Prince Harry — who lost his own mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 — supported Scotty’s Little Soldiers at their summer festival for bereaved children

Prince Harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026.Credit : 

Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

Prince Harry is making a special stop on his visit to the U.K., attending a festival for bereaved military families, one day after his reunion with King Charles.

On Friday, July 10, the Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle and their children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — met with King Charles and Queen Camilla at the monarch’s country estate of Highgrove House. The reunion was the first time that the monarch, 77, had seen his California-based grandchildren since 2022.

The following day, the Duke of Sussex, 41, headed to Scotty’s Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire on Saturday, July 11. The event was put on by Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity that supports children who lost a parent who served in the armed forces.

Prince Harry — who lost his own mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 and also served in the British Army — has supported the organization since 2017 and became their global ambassador in 2023. Scotty’s Little Soldiers was set up in 2010 by Nikki Scott, whose husband, Corp. Lee Scott, died when he was on a tour of Afghanistan in 2009.

Prince Harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026. Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

During the event, Prince Harry took part in goat yoga and was pelted with water balloons on an inflatable obstacle course.

In addition to the fun, there was also an emotional moment when a 9-year-old girl named Poppy — whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died in July 2020 from leukemia — asked, “What makes you laugh when you’ve had a difficult day?”

The Duke of Sussex patted his heart and said, “That got me right there.”

“You know what, sometimes it’s just a difficult day. It’s not always possible to laugh,” he continued. “But my dog makes me laugh, my children make me laugh. And if I need to laugh, I’ll probably put something really funny on the television.”

“But, and this goes for all of you, there are some days when you’d like to laugh, but it might not always be possible to laugh,” Harry continued. “But you’ve got brothers and sisters, friends, this community…but yes, I think the point is that a laugh at the end of a hard day is the best medicine served.”

Prince Harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026.Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

In his longtime support for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Prince Harry has previously attended several events, including Christmas parties. He also traditionally pens a letter to the children around Remembrance Day, the U.K. holiday marked in November that honors fallen members of the armed forces.

“As Remembrance approaches, I wanted to write and let you know how incredibly proud we all are of you,” Harry wrote in his 2025 letter. “This time of year can bring a lot of emotions — pride, love, and sometimes sadness — as you remember your parent or loved one who served our country.”

“Please know you’re not alone in that,” the Duke of Sussex continued. “You’ve got each other, and a whole community of friends and family who understand what this time means and who are standing right beside you, myself included.”

Harry also remembered his own military service in the letter, reflecting on “the friendships, the laughs, and the sense that no matter what, someone’s got your back.”

He added, “That same spirit lives in all of you. Through Scotty’s, you carry forward your parents’ legacy – one built on love, courage, and service, and you keep that spirit alive every day.”

Prince harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026.Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

In his longtime support for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Prince Harry has previously attended several events, including Christmas parties. He also traditionally pens a letter to the children around Remembrance Day, the U.K. holiday marked in November that honors fallen members of the armed forces.

“As Remembrance approaches, I wanted to write and let you know how incredibly proud we all are of you,” Harry wrote in his 2025 letter. “This time of year can bring a lot of emotions — pride, love, and sometimes sadness — as you remember your parent or loved one who served our country.”

“Please know you’re not alone in that,” the Duke of Sussex continued. “You’ve got each other, and a whole community of friends and family who understand what this time means and who are standing right beside you, myself included.”

Harry also remembered his own military service in the letter, reflecting on “the friendships, the laughs, and the sense that no matter what, someone’s got your back.”

He added, “That same spirit lives in all of you. Through Scotty’s, you carry forward your parents’ legacy – one built on love, courage, and service, and you keep that spirit alive every day.”

Prince harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026.Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

Prince Harry returned to his home country solo this week for a series of charity events. While many of his outings centered on the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, the Duke of Sussex also visited long-supported organizations like WellChild during his visit.

After much back-and-forth over whether Meghan, Archie and Lilibet would return to the U.K., due to security concerns, they flew into Britain from where they were vacationing in Europe for the reunion with King Charles.

However, Meghan and the children were not expected to make any public appearances.

Prince Harry at Scotty’s Summer Festival on July 11, 2026.Heathcliff O’MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty

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After losing his legal appeal against a government decision that stripped him of automatic police protection when visiting the U.K., which he and Meghan lost when they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, Harry told the BBC in May 2025 that he couldn’t “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”

“The things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything,” he added of his children. “I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do. I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”

SOURCE: https://people.com/prince-harry-shares-what-makes-him-laugh-difficult-day-after-king-charles-reunion-12011338