Prince Harry is making sure Princess Diana remains part of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's lives, even as the young royals grow up thousands of miles away from their late grandmother's former royal world.
Over the years, some of Harry's sweetest moments with his children have carried striking echoes of his own childhood with Diana, from family trips to Disneyland and days on the ski slopes to the way he keeps his mother's memory alive at home.
© Ken R. GoffMost recently, the Duke of Sussex brought his children even closer to their family history during the Sussexes' summer trip to Europe.
A special visit to Diana's childhood home:
On July 23, Meghan Markle offered a rare glimpse inside the family's summer vacation, sharing a collection of photos on Instagram under the simple caption, "Summer Holiday."
© Meghan Markle/IGOne particularly meaningful image showed Harry walking alongside Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, down a tree-lined path. The photograph was identified as having been taken at Althorp, the Spencer family's ancestral estate in Northamptonshire.
The sprawling estate has a deeply personal significance for Harry. Diana spent part of her childhood at Althorp, which has been home to the Spencer family for centuries, and she was laid to rest on an island on the estate following her death in 1997.
© Tim GrahamFor Archie and Lilibet, the visit offered a rare connection to the grandmother they never had the opportunity to meet.
It was also another example of Harry finding ways to connect his California-raised children with the memories and places that shaped his own childhood.
Harry's Disney memories come full circle:
Disney has provided another particularly sweet parallel between Harry's childhood and the one he is creating for Archie and Lilibet.
© Meghan Markle/IGIn 1993, Diana famously took Prince William and Harry to Walt Disney World in Florida. Photographs from the family outing captured the Princess of Wales enjoying the theme park with her sons, including a memorable ride on Splash Mountain.
More than three decades later, Harry found himself experiencing a similar adventure from a very different perspective: as a father.
© Bob CollierHarry and Meghan took Archie and Lilibet to Disneyland in California in 2025 to celebrate Lilibet's fourth birthday. Meghan later shared photos and video from the family's visit, including Harry and Archie riding Tiana's Bayou Adventure, the attraction that replaced Splash Mountain at Disneyland.
Harry later reflected on his own childhood Disney experience while appearing in ABC's 2025 special "The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland."
© Bob CollierRecalling visiting Disney with his mother and brother, Harry said that some of his happiest memories involved "going on those rides with my brother and my mum."
Watching his own children experience that same sense of excitement decades later brought the memory full circle.
Archie follows Harry onto the ski slopes:
Another Diana-era family tradition has found its way into Harry's life with Archie.
© Tim GrahamIn April 2026, Meghan shared a rare video of Harry skiing alongside their son. "My boys. Quick learner, Archie! So proud," she wrote alongside the footage.
For Harry, skiing is a pastime that stretches back to his childhood. Diana regularly took William and Harry on ski vacations, and the young princes were photographed with their mother during trips to destinations including Lech, Austria.
© Meghan Markle /IGHarry has also written about his love of skiing. In his memoir, "Spare," he recalled once considering becoming a ski instructor. Now Archie appears to be developing a love for the sport himself, with Harry in the role his parents once played for him.
'Grandma Diana' has always been part of Archie's life:
The connection goes beyond vacations and activities. Harry revealed in the 2021 Apple TV+ docuseries "The Me You Can't See" that he kept a photograph of Diana in Archie's nursery.
© MeghanMarkle/Instagram"I've got a photo of her in his nursery," Harry said, revealing that "grandma" and "Grandma Diana" were among his son's earliest words after "mama" and "papa."
"It's the sweetest thing," Harry said, while admitting that the milestone was bittersweet because he wished his mother could have been there.
© Ken R. GoffDiana's presence within the Sussex family became even more permanent weeks later when Harry and Meghan welcomed their daughter.
Born on June 4, 2021, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was given her middle name in honor of her late grandmother. Her first name honored Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname was Lilibet.
Keeping Diana's memory alive for a new generation:
Harry was only 12 years old when Diana died in Paris on August 31, 1997, but he has spoken frequently about the influence she continues to have on his life.
© Ken R. GoffNow, nearly three decades later, some of the experiences that defined Harry's childhood are appearing again in a new generation.
Archie and Lilibet are growing up in California rather than Kensington Palace, and their childhood looks very different from their father's.
© @meghanStill, between skiing with Harry, experiencing the magic of Disney and walking through the grounds of the Spencer family's ancestral home, pieces of Diana's story continue to find their way into theirs.
For Harry, it is a way of ensuring that although his children will never meet their grandmother, Princess Diana remains a meaningful part of their family story.
