London, UK - Prince Harry has spoken about following the example of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in showing hands-on affection to his children, in a podcast interview that aired Monday.

The Duke of Sussex revealed he sometimes liked to hug his kids – Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) – "extra tight", echoing past comments that Diana 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," the prince told the Joe Marler Will See You Now podcast.

"And if a day is hard, one thing I will do is always squeeze my kids that extra, extra tight."

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The interview with former England rugby union player Marler was recorded last Thursday, the day before Harry and his wife Meghan Markle 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 quit Britain in 2020 after stepping down as working royals amid a rupture 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.

The prince 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.

Harry's podcast interview also featured light-hearted moments, including a discussion of England's upcoming World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Asked for his prediction about Wednesday's match and the tournament, the prince said: "I think it's coming home [but it's] not going to be easy – never is."