Prince Harry reveals the touching ritual Meghan and the kids use to honour Princess Diana
Inside the sweet ritual Prince Harry still keeps to honor Princess Diana.
Here is your heartwarming-royal-news update with a side of goat yoga: Prince Harry says he keeps Princess Diana close with a family tradition that is as simple as it is sweet. And yes, it involves actual dessert.
A low-key ritual for Diana, built around cake
During a Q&A at Scotty's Little Soldiers Summer Festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire, Harry told USA Today that he, Meghan, and their two kids mark Diana's birthday (July 1) and the anniversary of her death (August 31) the same way every year: they bake lemon drizzle cake. It is intentionally uncomplicated and very kid-friendly, which is kind of the point.
"Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake."
"I think traditions are really, really important, especially when they are sweet."
He frames it as a way to give his children a real connection to the grandmother they never got to meet. Straightforward, personal, and a lot more grounded than the usual royal fanfare. Also: lemon drizzle is a solid choice.
Why this lands the way it does
Diana died on August 31, 1997, from injuries after a car crash in Paris, and the world went into collective mourning. Harry has been open about how losing his mother left a permanent void; in his 2021 picture book 'Hospital by the Hill,' he wrote about the hole it created. Over time, he has said that having his own family has helped fill some of that space with love, support, and purpose. The cake tradition fits neatly into that arc: small, repeatable rituals that keep the memory alive without turning it into a museum piece.
Meanwhile: Harry did goat yoga with bereaved military kids
Same festival, different vibe. At the Scotty's Little Soldiers event — a very lively summer gathering for children who have lost a military parent — Harry jumped into a goat yoga session. He reportedly checked in with staff about safety before stepping into the enclosure, then grabbed a blue exercise mat, struck a modified tree pose, and hammed it up by making pretend animal ears with his hands. It's the kind of extremely 2020s charity activity that sounds goofy until you see the kids' faces; light-hearted and deeply purposeful at the same time.
That appearance delivered what it needed to: a fun moment for kids navigating grief, and a reminder that Harry and Meghan are trying to make Diana's spirit a joyful, active presence in their household — not just a story they dust off twice a year.
- The tradition: lemon drizzle cake for Diana's birthday (July 1) and the August 31 anniversary
- Where he shared it: a Q&A at Scotty's Little Soldiers Summer Festival, Maxstoke Castle, Warwickshire
- The quotes: "Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake." and "I think traditions are really, really important, especially when they are sweet."
- The backdrop: Diana's 1997 death in a Paris car crash, and Harry's long-running, very public journey through grief
- The extra moment: goat yoga antics with bereaved military kids — blue mat, tree pose, faux animal ears, lots of smiles