The late monarch was a very loving grandmother and great-grandmother and she would always do the same thing when younger members of her family would come to stay
The late Queen was the head of state but she was also a beloved grandmother, with eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. It was a role she adored.
While her famous sense of duty was unparalleled, her deep love for her family was also evident, documented in candid photographs and stories shared by those closest to her.
Princess Kate previously spoke about the Queen’s affection for Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Prince George – who called her ‘Gan-Gan’. And she revealed the monarch’s touching gesture every time they would go and visit.
Speaking in the 2016 TV documentary Our Queen at 90, following the birth of Princess Charlotte, Kate shared: “It’s very special us having a new little girl to the family. Very lucky that George has got a little sister.
“The Queen, she was really thrilled that it was a little girl and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington [Palace] she was one of our first visitors here. I think she’s very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she’s up to. George is only two and a half and calls her ‘gan-gan.’ She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows, I think, her love for her family.”
Elsewhere in the show, Kate spoke about the Queen’s kindness towards her, calling attention to their first joint engagement together, which took place in March 2019.
“The most memorable engagement for me I suppose was an away day to Leicester and I went without William so I was rather apprehensive about that,” she said. “I think there is a real art to walkabouts, everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting so I think I’ve still got to learn a little bit more and pick up a few more tips I suppose.”
Of the Queen, she added: “She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that she’s doing is a very small element, which just shows how caring she is, really.”
The late monarch was also famously seen sharing a charming moment with William and Kate’s youngest child, Prince Louis, on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Platinum Jubilee flypast in 2022.
According to lip reading specialist Jeremy Freeman, Louis exclaimed “Woah” to his mum. Turning to his great-grandmother, Louis then asked, “Are the Red Arrows coming?”, to which the Queen warmly responded, “I hope so!” As more loud jets passed by, Louis looked up, waving at the pilots, then covered his ears again and made a humorous face towards the onlookers.
Body language expert Judi James further added that Prince Louis and the Queen exhibited a shared “childlike excitement” on the balcony. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: “Louis stepped in front of the Queen before tilting his head back to engage her in some animated conversation as they waited for the Red Arrows.
“Louis made this conversation seem like the most natural thing in the world and his lack of anything resembling fear suggested these two might share a rather close friendship based on shared fun behind the scenes, too.”
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