Touching. Prince Harry gave a heartfelt tribute to Queen Elizabeth and the time Lilibet and Archie met their royal great-grandmother. The Archewell co-founder made a public statement about his grandmother’s death on September 12, 2022, to remember her legacy.
In his statement on the Archewell website, Prince Harry remembers all the fond memories he had with his grandmother when she was alive. “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander in chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honor my father in his new role as King Charles III.” He also mentioned how she and her husband Prince Philip are reunited. “We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.”
Queen Elizabeth met with Meghan and Harry’s first-born, Archie, 3, before they left for Montecito, California after they stepped down from their royal duties. Lilibet Diana was born in California in June 2021. Queen Elizabeth didn’t meet with her great-grandaughter until her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to England to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service. According to The Sun on June 7, 2022, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were denied photos of the long-awaited meeting of the Queen and her namesake. “Harry and Meghan wanted their photographer to capture the moment Lilibet met the Queen. But they were told no chance. It was a private family meeting.” The Queen met with Lilibet during a private lunch after The Trooping of Colour on June 3, 2022. Lilibet then celebrated her first birthday party at her parent’s residence at Frogmore Cottage on June 4, 2022.
Harry and Meghan made sure to introduce baby Lili to her great-grandmother virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The Royal Observer, the late monarch met baby Lilibet over Zoom shortly after she was born. “Meghan is now resting at home and she and Harry have already introduced the Queen to her great-granddaughter via Zoom,” an insider told the site in June 2021, adding at the time, “Since the couple moved to L.A., the Queen has become very familiar with Zoom. She talks to Harry, Meghan and Archie via technology, and now she is using it to meet her granddaughter. She is a very modern grandmother.”
Image: Courtesy of Random House.
For more about the British royal family, check out Sally Bedell Smith’s 2012 biography, Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
. The New York Times bestseller, which includes the “real story” behind several storylines featured in Netflix’s The Crown, follows Queen Elizabeth II’s life from her childhood as the “heiress presumptive” to her father, King George VI; to the moment he met her husband, Prince Philip, when she was 13 years old; to her ascension to the throne at 25 years old in 1952. Elizabeth the Queen, which also includes interviews with Buckingham Palace sources and never-before-revealed documents, provides a deep dive into the Queen’s legacy as one of the most famous monarchs in recent history.
