During her last visit with Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet before her death, Prince Harry has revealed that Queen Elizabeth said the sweetest thing about her great-grandchildren.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II changed a lot for the Royal Family. Not only did The Firm lose a member, and the public a beloved monarch as the royal line of succession saw a serious shake up, but the members of the family lost a precious mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
For Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, the news hit close to home as they said goodbye to their great-grandmother. But their cousins, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, never had the chance to have one final meeting in her last days. But the youngsters do still have a wonderful final memory of the Queen, as Prince Harry has revealed the sweet details of 'the final visit' between his kids and his grandmother.
Writing in his memoir, Spare, the Prince recalled 'Archie making deep, chivalrous bows,' and 'his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins,' as they spent time with the Queen. The well-mannered children made an impression on the monarch, with Harry sharing that the Queen was very 'bemused' by the kids and called them the 'sweetest children.'
“She’d expected them to be a bit more...American, I think?” he added. “Meaning, in her mind, more rambunctious.”
At the time, obviously, Harry could not have had any idea that this meeting would be his children's last chance to see their great-grandmother. Following her passing, when he returned to his and Meghan Markle's home in LA, he admitted that he couldn't stop thinking about that final visit and how precious those memories of it were.
“For days and days, we couldn’t stop hugging the children, couldn't let them out of our sight,” he said, referring to his wife Meghan Markle. “Though I also couldn’t stop picturing them with Granny.”
As happens to many following a loss, the death of such an important family member woke Harry up to the reality of life. He has since spoken out numerous times about his wish for his kids to have a stronger bond to the rest of the royal family, especially with their grandfather King Charles III.
On one occasion, talking to PEOPLE Magazine back in 2023, he said, "I've said before that I've wanted a family, not an institution — so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy."
Talking about the passing of a relative with children can be difficult no matter how old they are. It's important to remember that everyone feels grief differently and there's no right or wrong way to feel when someone dies. You can find tips on what to say when someone dies, but actions are more important than words - make sure you're there for people. Teenage boys who have lost a grandmother are especially vulnerable as research has shown that losing a grandmother can impact teenage boys' mental health for as long as seven years.
