In a touching tribute, Prince William fondly remembered Queen Elizabeth II, crediting her with fostering his deep appreciation for “teatime” – a tradition he gratefully acknowledges as something he never realized he needed.
Prince William reflects on cherished moments with Queen Elizabeth
The 44-year-old prince shared these sentiments in a heartfelt video message created for a digital memorial honoring his grandmother. This platform allows the public to contribute their own remembrances of the iconic monarch, who passed away in September 2022. William reminisced about his student days at Eton College, when he frequently visited the Queen and her late husband, Prince Philip, enjoying delightful teatime conversations over cake at Windsor Castle.
Speaking in a video filmed at Windsor Castle, William 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.
He added: "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 digital memorial was launched in April this year to mark what would have been the queen's 100th birthday. Other contributors have included the likes of Olympic diver Tom Daley, artist Dame Tracey Emin, and children's TV presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin.
In his contribution, Tom recalled getting "told off" when he sat on the queen's throne during a reception at Buckingham Palace for athletes who had competed in the Beijing Olympics.
He recalled: "As a 14 year old I was so excited to travel up from my hometown of Plymouth to get to London to be able to go into the palace for the very first time and everything was so regal, so grand and it was something that I had never ever experienced coming from the small town of Plymouth.
"I remember when the Queen came into the room everyone just, she always had this incredible presence and she came round and shook every single member of Team GB's hand and she made sure to say hello to every single member of the team.
"Team GB is a big team and the fact that she was able to take the time to say hello and congratulations to every single member just shows you how much of a special person she was.
"I did later after saying hello to her, go and sit on her throne and I did get told off for that because at 14 years old, I didn't realise that you're not meant to sit on the reigning monarch's throne.”