Harry reveals sweet tradition honouring late mother

Prince Harry has revealed that he, Meghan Markle and their children mark Princess Diana's birthday and the anniversary of her death with a simple family tradition: baking a lemon drizzle cake.

The Duke of Sussex disclosed the ritual during a Q&A session at Scotty's Summer Festival, held at Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire on Saturday. A teenager attending the event asked whether he observed any special customs on 1 July, Diana's birthday, or 31 August, the anniversary of her death in 1997.

"Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake," Harry replied, adding that such customs carry particular significance for his family. "I think traditions are really, really important," he said, "especially when they're sweet."

Harry attended the festival in his capacity as Global Ambassador for Scotty's Little Soldiers, a charity that supports bereaved military children. The cause resonates deeply with the prince, who was 12 when his mother died in a car crash in Paris.

He has previously spoken candidly about the lasting effects of that loss. Speaking at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne earlier this year, Harry described grief as disorientating regardless of age, recalling periods of feeling emotionally numb before he found healthier ways to process his mother's death. "There have been many times when I've felt overwhelmed," he said.

The Warwickshire appearance came shortly after Harry, Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet, reportedly held a private reunion with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire — the first face-to-face meeting between the children and their grandparents in four years.

Buckingham Palace has declined to release photographs or further details of the gathering, describing it only as a private family occasion.