Prince William has shared rare recollections of spending time with his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, away from the public eye, when she was "completely at ease" and "off duty".
The Prince’s personal recollections come as part of a new digital memorial honouring the monarch, which is available online now, featuring tributes from both the public and those who knew her best.
As well as revealing more details about "a side of Granny the world didn’t often see", William shared that she fostered in him a love of tea time, something he still appreciates "to this day".
In his moving message, the future King recalls "many a quiet afternoon" with the Queen and the late Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. He said, "Whilst I had the privilege to know the late Queen better than most, some of my fondest memories of my grandmother are from here in Windsor.
"I remember many a quiet afternoon having tea with her and my grandfather at the castle, chatting, sharing stories, and seeing how completely at ease she was here, surrounded by family and her much-loved dogs and horses.
"To this day, she’s given me a love of teatime that I never knew I needed.
"Watching her ride her horses in the Great Park, even well into her later years, showed a side of Granny the world didn’t often see - off duty, relaxed and utterly at home. These moments with my grandmother are ones I’ll always hold dear."
The late Queen’s love for afternoon tea has been discussed before, with former Royal chef Darren McGrady revealing all about the traditions she would always follow and just exactly what was on the menu.
Speaking to Coffee Friend in the past, Darren revealed, "The Queen loved afternoon tea, I would say it’s probably one of her favourite meals."
He added that there always had to be two sandwiches on the menu and the scones had to alternate flavours each day. "It was really important the way they alternated. So much so, that the chefs at Buckingham Palace would ring Windsor Castle on a Monday morning and ask what flavour scones the Queen had the day before, just to be sure we didn’t serve the same.
"I’m not sure what would have happened if we did, but we always checked."
Touchingly, and perhaps why William continues to love teatime to this day, the Queen always made sure to have her grandson’s favourite on the menu.
Darren explained, “If she had Prince William coming for afternoon tea, she knew her grandson loved chocolate biscuit cake, so she’d write that in and put a number two. That told us there were two for tea”.
