Prince Harry recalled what Queen Elizabeth said to his children when they last met. The Duke of Sussex, 41, looked back on the poignant memory in his 2023 memoir Spare, describing the first and only time his grandmother met his daughter, Princess Lilibet.According to the memoir, Prince Harry wrote about the death of his grandmother and found himself unable to stop painting his son and daughter alongside the late monarch. “Archie bowed deeply and chivalrously, and his little sister Lilibet put her arms around the monarch’s calf. Grandma said, sounding bemused, the sweetest kids,” the Duke of Sussex recalled in “Standby.”Harry provides more insight into the Queen’s reaction to meeting the children. “I think she wanted them to be more…American? In her mind, that meant more grumpy,” he wrote, suggesting that Queen Elizabeth expected the children to exhibit traits she associated with American behavior.
Details of the Royal Meeting in June 2022
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal roles in 2020 when Prince Archie was still a baby. The family of four returned to the UK in June 2022 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, marking their return to the country they left two years ago.
Prince Harry’s personal tribute after Queen Elizabeth’s death
In a personal statement released after Queen Elizabeth’s death, Prince Harry paid tribute to the queen and mentioned moments with his late grandmother he said he would “treasure,” according to people familiar with the matter.In his eulogy, Prince Harry said: “Grandma, although this final parting has brought us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all our first encounters – from my earliest childhood memories of you, to the first time I met you as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first time you met my dear wife and held your beloved great-grandson.”
King Charles meets his granddaughter for the first time
It was previously confirmed that King Charles also met his granddaughter Princess Lilibet for the first time during his visit in June 2022. A royal source gave a positive account of the encounter at the time. “It was a wonderful visit. The prince was delighted to meet his grandchildren for the first time,” the source said, noting that it was “fantastic” for Harry and Meghan to be back in the UK.Sources detailed the emotional significance of the meeting for King Charles. “The time spent with him was very special. He had not yet met his granddaughter Lilibet, so it was very exciting to meet her for the first time – it was a wonderful thing,” they added, highlighting how meaningful the meeting was for the then-Prince Charles.
Prince Harry expected to return to UK
Despite the ongoing family row, Prince Harry will travel to the UK in the coming week to celebrate the first anniversary of the Invincible Games in Birmingham in 2027 to demonstrate his continued dedication to the sporting event.