Prince Harry Says He Sees Princess Diana in Archie and Lilibet: 'The Ginger Gene Is Strong' (2024)

Prince Harry passed on his signature red hair to children Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana!

The Duke of Sussex, 38, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Tuesday, promoting his memoir Spare on the day of its global release. Harry spoke to the host about the "cathartic" process of putting pen to paper, his military service in Afghanistan, the worldwide fascination with the royal family and what his late mother, Princess Diana, would make of it all today. Prince Harry also joked about how his two young children, whom he shares with his wife Meghan Markle, inherited his iconic red hair.

Towards the end of the segment, Colbert, 58, showed Harry and Meghan's 2021 Christmas card, which featured their first public photo as a family of four.

"Here's another lovely family photo. Your daughter, Lilibet, your son, Archie, of course your wife, Meghan. Your daughter Lilibet is named in her honor," Colbert said, referencing Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. "Having children helps us remember those that we've lost. Do you see your mother or your grandparents in any of your children?"

"Definitely my mum. The ginger gene is a strong one!" Prince Harry joked as the studio audience laughed.

"Look at that. Both of them are redheads," the host said.

"The Spencer gene is very, very strong," Harry interjected, referencing his maternal side of the family. "I actually really, genuinely thought at the beginning of my relationship [with Meghan] that should this go the distance and we have kids that there's no way the ginger gene will stand up to my wife's genes, but I was wrong!"

"Go gingers," he added.

It's a little-known fact that all three of Princess Diana's siblings — Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Charles, 9th Earl Spencer — have naturally red hair. Harry joked about his hair color when reflecting on the early days of his relationship with his wife in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which debuted in December.

"I remember my family first meeting her and being incredibly impressed. Some of them didn't quite know what to do with themselves," Harry said after the pair retold the story of Meghan's first meeting with Queen Elizabeth. "I think they were surprised. Maybe surprised that a ginger could land such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent woman."

For more from PEOPLE's exclusive interview with Harry, check out this week's issue, on newsstands Friday

Prince Harry covers this week's exclusive issue of PEOPLE, where he said that he sees himself today as "a husband and a father — first and foremost — as well as a veteran, environmentalist and mental-health advocate."

"I know that I want to live my life in service of others and that I want to live by example for my kids," Harry tells PEOPLE.