Online Desk: Such a sweetie. After Queen Elizabeth II died, Prince William and Princess Kate had to inform their three children of the news.
Prince William and Duchess Kate’s Sweetest Moments With Their Kids
The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, opened up about her youngest son, Prince Louis, reacted while on a walkabout with her husband, Prince William.
“[Louis said,] ‘At least Grannie is with Great-Grandpa now,’” Kate told a group of children of her 4-year-old son on Saturday, September 10, referring to Prince Philip, who died in April 2021. Royal reporter Roya Nikkhah of London’s The Times subsequently tweeted the interaction.
Kate — who also shares Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, with William, 40 — joined her husband for a public appearance outside Windsor Castle on Saturday where they greeted packed crowds of well-wishers and viewed floral tributes to the queen. The twosome — who wed in 2011 — were also joined by William’s brother, Prince Harry, and wife Meghan Markle.
“William invited Harry and Meghan to join them,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly about the brothers’ public reunion. “They were delayed in arriving while they arranged the plans.”
The long-reigning monarch “died peacefully” on Thursday, September 8, at the age of 96, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. Hours earlier, palace officials confirmed Elizabeth had been under medical supervision and ordered to rest at her residence at Balmoral Castle.
“On Thursday, the world lost an extraordinary leader, whose commitment to the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth was absolute,” the newly-minted Prince of Wales — who was bestowed the honor after father King Charles III ascended the throne — wrote via Instagram statement on Saturday. “So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign.”
William continued: “I, however, have lost a grandmother. And while I will grieve her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have had the benefit of the queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade. … She was by my side at my happiest moments and she was by my side during the saddest days of my life. I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real.”
Harry — who arrived in the U.K. earlier this month for a series of public engagements with Meghan, 40 — has since been “grief-stricken” that he was unable to properly say goodbye to his grandmother, according to a second insider. The Archewell cofounders later posted a public memorial to Elizabeth on their nonprofit’s website.
