Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the Princess of Wales’ three children, have aided her in coping with her grief in the wake of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, she said in a number of interviews.
The most recent video, posted by Kristine Johnson on Twitter, shows Princess Kate conversing with thousands of royal admirers who flocked to Windsor Palace to pay their respects to Her Majesty. The mother-of-three said during the walkabout, “They’ve all been extraordinary. I was really sad when I found out, and Louis said, ‘Mummy don’t worry, because now Gan Gan is with great-grandpa,’ ” before pulling an expression and expressing how touched she was by the remark.
She continued, “Children, they know the exact [force]; considering he’s four, that’s amazing… They’re extraordinary.”
The affectionate moniker “Gan Gan” was first given to Kate and William’s great-grandmother by their eldest son Prince George, who undoubtedly passed it along to his younger siblings.
George calls Her Majesty “Gan-Gan” at the age of just two and a half, and the Princess acknowledged this in her first-ever solo TV interview. “She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows her love for her family,” the Princess said.
Kate also mentioned Her Majesty’s subdued encouragement of her. “I feel she’s been there, a gentle guidance really for me,” the speaker said. “She’s been very generous in not being forceful at all and in any of her views.”
In the company of her loved ones, the Queen passed away “peacefully at Balmoral” at the age of 96, just 17 months after the passing of her husband Prince Philip in April 2021.
For their joint Windsor appearance on Sunday, Prince William and Kate made their first reunion with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in more than two years. It happened shortly after the Prince of Wales gave an emotional speech in which he honored his “Grannie.”
The message stated in part: “[I] have lost a grandmother, and while I will mourn her loss, I also feel incredibly grateful. I have benefited from The Queen’s wisdom and reassurance into my fifth decade, my wife has had twenty years of her guidance and support, and my three children have been able to spend holidays with her and make memories that will last their entire lives.
“She was by my side during my most joyful times. She also stood by my side during some of my most difficult times. It will take some time before the reality of life without Grannie feels truly real, but I knew this day would come.
“Grief is the price we pay for love, my grandmother once said, according to legend,” he continued. The sorrow we will experience over the next few weeks will all be a reflection of the love we had for our extraordinary Queen. In order to honor her memory, I will do everything in my power to help my father, The King.
