The Duke of Sussex has spoken to bereaved children about how he marks anniversaries related to his late mother and deals with grief.

In the final public appearance of his UK visit – a day after he, his wife and children met the King and Queen – Prince Harry visited a summer festival in Warwickshire set up by Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved military children and young people.

His mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when he was 12.

After taking part in a yoga session with goats, he had a Q&A with some of the children.

Poppy, nine, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died in 2020 from leukaemia, asked him: “What makes you laugh when you’ve had a difficult day?”

The duke touched his heart and 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.”

Sebastian, 16, whose father Rev John Hill served in the Navy and died in 2010, asked if Harry did anything special to mark the day of his mother’s death or her birthday.

“Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake,” Harry responded. “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 de-stress and relax?”

The duke 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 that “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 – talking.

“Guys, if you’re feeling it, share it.”

Prince Harry’s final appearance of his UK visit came a day after he, his wife Meghan and their children had a private family reunion with the King and Queen at Highgrove – visiting together for the first time in four years.

It has been a bumpy return to the UK for Prince Harry, in a visit promoting the Invictus Games for injured service men and women.

He was not accompanied by Meghan to any public events in the UK this week, after a row over security.

On Tuesday, the duke also lost his High Court claim, made with a group of well-known figures, against the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday’s publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering.