LONDON – Prince Harry has revealed how he follows his late mother’s example in showing physical affection to his children, in a podcast interview that aired on Monday.

The Duke of Sussex told the “Joe Marler Will See You Now” podcast that he sometimes likes to hug his children – Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) – “extra tight”, echoing past comments that Diana, Princess of Wales, would squeeze him and his brother William as “tight as possible”.

“The resilience of kids is amazing and the way they view life is so incredibly refreshing,” Harry said. “And if a day is hard, one thing I will do is always squeeze my kids that extra, extra tight.”

The interview with former England rugby union player Marler was recorded on Thursday, the day before Harry and his wife Meghan took their two children to see their grandfather King Charles III for the first time in four years.

It came during a rare joint UK visit by the couple, who left Britain in 2020 after stepping down as working royals amid a rift with the rest of the family. They eventually relocated to California and the children had not seen their grandfather, Britain’s reigning monarch, since 2022.

Harry appears to have largely reconciled with his father but remains distant from his elder brother William, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne.

The podcast interview also featured lighter moments, including a discussion of England’s upcoming World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Asked for his prediction about Wednesday’s match, Harry said: “I think it’s coming home (but it’s) not going to be easy – never is.”

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