Late Queen Elizabeth II was not only the country's longest-reigning monarch, but also a loving grandmother to her eight grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren, a role she deeply cherished.
Her dedication to her royal duties was known around the world, but it was her deep affection for her family that often warmed the hearts of the public, as evidenced by intimate photos and anecdotes from those who knew her best, reports the mirror.
Princess Kate has opened up about the special bond between the Queen and her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotteand Prince Louis, with George affectionately calling his great-grandmother “Gan-Gan.”
In the moving 2016 documentary 'Our Queen at 90', which followed the birth of Princess Charlotte, Kate revealed: 'It's really special that we have a new little girl in the family. Very lucky that George has a sister.
'The Queen was delighted that it was a little girl, and I think as soon as we got back to Kensington [Palace] she was one of our first visitors here.
'I think she loves Charlotte, who always keeps an eye on 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 to sleepovers and I think that just shows her love for her family.”
Kate also reminisced about the warmth and kindness the Queen showed her personally, highlighting their first official engagement together in March 2019, which she recalled during the same programme.
“The most memorable engagement for me was a day away to Leicester and I went without William, so I was quite apprehensive about that,” she revealed.
“I think walkabouts are a real art. Everyone in the family teases me about chatting for way too long, so I think I need to learn a bit more and pick up a few more tips, I guess. “
Of the queen, she said: “She was very helpful. The fact that she took the time to make sure I was happy and taken care of for that particular occasion, which is probably a very small element in everything she does, just shows how caring she is, really.”
The late monarch also shared a delightful interaction with Prince William and Kate's youngest son, Prince Louis, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the 2022 Platinum Anniversary Parade.
Lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman caught young Louis saying 'woah' to his mother.
He then turned to his great-grandmother and asked, “Are the Red Arrows coming?”, to which the queen lovingly replied, “I hope so.”
As the roar of fighter jets filled the air, Louis waved at the pilots, covered his ears and made a comical face, much to the amusement of the crowd.
Body language expert Judi James has suggested that Prince Louis and the Queen showed a mutual 'childlike excitement' during their balcony appearance. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she noted: 'Louis stepped in front of the Queen before leaning his head back to engage her in animated conversation as they waited for the Red Arrows.'
“Louis made this conversation seem like the most normal thing in the world and his lack of anything resembling fear suggested that these two might also share a pretty close friendship based on shared fun behind the scenes.”