The ultimate matriarch, Queen Elizabeth II had enough great-grandchildren for her own football team by the end of her life - with one to spare.
Tonight, the younger generation of royals will take their place around their grandmother's coffin as Her Majesty's eight grandchildren will hold a 15 minute vigil around her coffin.
Prince William will be at the front of the coffin, with his younger brother, Prince Harry, at the foot in his military uniform.
The Queen's other grandchildren, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara and Peter Philips and Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, are also understood to form part of the guard of honour tomorrow evening.
While busy with her duties on the throne during the early years of her own children’s lives, and even those of her grandchildren, by the time the latest generation arrived the Queen was determined to enjoy them.
Known adorably as “Gan-Gan” to the young Prince George, reports told how the monarch would leave little treats in the children’s rooms when they came to visit.
George’s mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, revealed the charming detail in the ITV documentary Our Queen at 90, filmed before her youngest, four-year-old Louis, was born: “Every time we stay with her, she leaves a little gift for George and Charlotte in their rooms. I think that just goes to show her love for [the children] and for the family.”
Princess Charlotte, seven, was said to be a favourite, with mum Kate once revealing how the Queen was “really thrilled” when she and Prince William had a baby girl.
“As soon as we came back [from hospital] she was one of our first visitors,” said the Duchess. “I think she is very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she’s up to.”
Members of the public got a delightful glimpse into the relationship between the Queen and Prince George, nine, when a video was shared of the young heir to the throne, then aged just six, as he vigorously stirred up ingredients for a Christmas pudding.
Standing behind him the Queen, along with Princes William and Charles, appeared to see the funny side, although she did take a swift step back from the table as the youngster carried on with increasing gusto.
Less time was spent with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children following the couple’s move to the States in 2019.
Of course the Queen met and was famously pictured with little Archie, along with Prince Philip, the tot’s parents and maternal grandmother Doria Ragland.
Even after the family’s move to the US reports told how she saw him over Zoom.
Before the couple’s controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Prince Harry revealed how the doting great-grandmother had sent Archie, now three, an unusual Christmas gift in December 2020, one the youngster was said to have loved.
“My grandmother asked us what Archie wanted for Christmas, and Meg said a waffle maker,” the Prince said on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
“She sent us a waffle maker for Archie. So breakfast now, Meg makes up a beautiful organic mix, in the waffle maker, flip it, out it comes, he loves it. Archie literally wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Waffle?’”
In a nod to his grandmother, when Prince Harry’s daughter Lilibet arrived later in June 2021 she was named Lilibet in honour of the Queen, who was nicknamed Lilibet as a child.
As part of her traditional Christmas Day speech as the year drew to a close the monarch, who just months earlier had lost her husband, Prince Philip, welcomed the tot to the family, along with three other great-grandchildren born in 2021-Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son August, Zara and Mike Tindall’s son Lucas and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s daughter Sienna.
Her Majesty was also great-grandmother to Peter and Autumn Phillips’ daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, as well as the Tindalls’ daughters Mia, eight and four-year-old Lena.
Tonight the Queen's eight grandchildren - William, Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, Lady Louise, James, Peter and Zara - will pay tribute by standing guard in a vigil beside her coffin.
