Prince Harry made a touching reference to his children during the final day of his UK tour while speaking to children supported by Scotty's Little Soldiers. The charity, which supports children who have lost a parent who served in the military, hosted a question and answer session with the Duke of Sussex at its summer festival at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire on Saturday.
Emotional Q&A with Children
In an emotional moment, Poppy, 9, who lost her father Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull to leukaemia in July 2020, asked Prince Harry how he dealt with his difficult days. Harry replied that sometimes days are simply difficult, but that laughter was the "best medicine", often helped along by his children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.
He responded: "You know what, sometimes it's just a difficult day. It's not always possible to laugh, 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. 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."
Festival Activities
During the engagement, the Duke took part in a goat yoga session, joking: "Is there health and safety? Do they bite?" He also took part in a race with a child named River, 3, when the Duke found himself on the receiving end of several water bombs.
Harry's Mental Health Advocacy
The Duke has openly talked about his struggles with mental health following the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. In a 2017 interview with the Telegraph, Prince Harry said he "shut down all emotions" and prevented himself from thinking about her because it made him too sad. He stated that after a lot of encouragement from those around him, he eventually spoke to a therapist and began to deal with his grief almost 20 years after the tragic events.
His Heads Together campaign, which he founded with his brother Prince William and the Princess of Wales, worked to break down the stigma around mental health in the UK and was one of the most high-profile campaigns around mental health of its time.
