The duke joined in the fun at Scotty’s Little Soldiers summer festival in Warwickshire in his final public appearance in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex took part in “goat yoga” and was pelted with water bombs during his final public appearance on a family visit to the UK.
Harry visited Scotty’s Little Soldiers summer festival at Maxstoke Castle, Warwickshire, on Saturday.
He attended the event less than 24 hours after taking his wife, the Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, for a private family reunion with the King and Queen at Highgrove.
Participants at the festival were urged to “channel the spirit” of goats during the yoga session, but if the duke was baffled by the process he tried not to show it.
“Let me in!” he shouted as he approached the animal pen.
“Is there health and safety? Do they bite?”
Reassured that goats “love love”, Harry took his place on a blue mat and performed a variation of the tree pose, standing on one leg while making goat ears with his hands.
Told to look into the eyes of a goat, he successfully stared down one animal for some time, almost touching noses.
Harry also lay on his back as goats trampled over him, and someone in the crowd watching joked that his security team had failed to protect the “crown jewels” when one of the animals stepped on his crotch.
Harry shouted “ow” as he covered the area with his hands and asked the goat “what are you doing?”, which prompted laughter.
Harry, whose military service included two operational tours in Afghanistan, has worked with Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved military children, since 2017 and became global ambassador in 2023.
After feeding the goats, he raced three-year-old River over to an inflatable obstacle course, where he was pelted with water bombs.
Harry, who gave hugs and posed for selfies, revealed during a Q&A session how he marks the key anniversaries of his late mother and how he recovers from bad days.
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when Harry was 12.
Poppy, nine, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died in July 2020 from leukaemia, asked: “What makes you laugh when you’ve had a difficult day?”
The duke patted his heart, saying: “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.”
Sebastian, 16, whose father Rev John Hill served in the Navy and died in June 2010, asked if Harry did anything special to mark the anniversary of his mother’s death or her birthday.
“Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake,” Harry revealed, adding: “I think traditions are really, really important, especially when they’re sweet.”
Joshua, 21, whose father Lance Corporal Christopher Bradshaw died in November 2011 in a road crash, asked: “When life takes its toll and things get tough, what do you do to destress and relax?”
The duke joked that he had to think carefully about his answer because there were children of different ages present but replied: “Exercise is universally good for helping with grief, stress, loss.
“Whether it’s going for a walk through nature, taking the dog for a walk or swimming in the cold sea – I love that – just to get yourself out and moving.”
Harry said “it’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress” but he had learned that it was better to do something, adding: “Talking. Guys, if you’re feeling it, share it.”
The duke, who now lives in California, was asked why he had stayed involved with the UK-based charity: “I can relate to you guys, and the thing that I love about Scotty’s is the fun and the sharing, and the community is the healing – and I hope you all feel that.
“It doesn’t mean you aren’t going to have hard days, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to have sad days. But the whole point about Scotty’s is to point out that you guys are not alone in this.
“Grief and loss can feel incredibly isolating and very, very lonely, but look how many of you can share in this experience. So please reach out to each other.
“I love being here, this is the highlight of my month. Actually probably the last few months.”
Harry started the one-year countdown to his Invictus Games for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel and veterans, in host city Birmingham on Friday,
The visit was the last in a week-long series of official events in the UK where he promoted charities and organisations close to his heart.
Security issues prevented Meghan and their children travelling with Harry on Monday, but it appears concerns over safety were mitigated to allow Friday’s visit to Highgrove to take place.
On Tuesday, the duke lost his High Court claim, made with a group of celebrities, against the Daily Mail’s publishers over alleged unlawful information gathering.
