11 July 2026
Prince Harry has ended a whirlwind return to the UK by swapping royal formality for goat yoga, inflatable obstacle courses and water bomb fights as he joined bereaved military children at a summer festival in Warwickshire.
Prince Harry has ended a whirlwind return to the UK by swapping royal formality for goat yoga, inflatable obstacle courses and water bomb fights as he joined bereaved military children at a summer festival in Warwickshire
Less than 24 hours after his long-awaited reunion with King Charles, 77, the Duke of Sussex spent the final day of his UK visit on Saturday (11,07.26) at Scotty’s Little Soldiers’ annual summer festival at Maxstoke Castle, where around 200 bereaved military children and their families gathered.
Harry, a long-time supporter of the charity, took part in activities including goat yoga, games and a question-and-answer session with youngsters.
The appearance came shortly after he met his father, marking the pair’s first widely reported face-to-face meeting for some time following years of public tensions within the Royal family.
The reunion follows months of continued scrutiny over Harry’s relationship with the King, his ongoing estrangement from the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the fallout surrounding the Duke’s move away from royal duties.
Harry has also remained in the headlines following his legal battles over UK security arrangements and continued public discussion surrounding his memoir Spare and his Netflix projects with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – who joined him on his visit to Charles along with their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five.
Leading the unusual yoga session, instructor Rosie encouraged participants to embrace the animals’ behaviour.
She said: “Feel that goat in you. Embody the balance of goats.”
Rather than practising downward dogs, the group attempted “downward goats”, while Harry enthusiastically approached the enclosure, calling: “Let me in!”
He then asked: “Is there health and safety? Do they bite?”
Harry was reassured the goats simply “love love” before taking his place on a blue yoga mat.
During one exercise, he balanced on one leg while making goat ears with his hands before staring into the eyes of one of the animals, almost touching noses.
The session took a more chaotic turn when Harry lay on his back and several goats climbed across him. As one stepped onto his crotch, someone joked that his security team had failed to protect the Crown Jewels.
Harry yelled “Ow” as he covered himself with his hands.
He also asked the goat: “What are you doing?”, prompting laughter from those watching.
Afterwards, Harry fed the animals and posed for photographs before heading to an inflatable obstacle course, where he raced three-year-old River and became the target of a barrage of water balloons.
Harry told the youngster as River repeatedly hit him with water bombs: “You’re naughty!”
The Duke later joined a question-and-answer session with children supported by Scotty’s Little Soldiers. During the discussion, he revealed he marks important anniversaries connected to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, with a lemon drizzle cake.
He also described Botswana as his favourite country and said he copes with difficult days by taking a cold sea swim or walking his dog.
Poppy, aged nine, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died from leukaemia in July 2020, asked Harry: “What makes you laugh when you’ve had a difficult day?”
Harry patted his heart before replying: “That got me right there.”
After a brief pause, he said: “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.”
Harry has supported Scotty’s Little Soldiers for many years, regularly meeting bereaved military children and families through the charity.