She may have been the Queen and he may be next in line to the throne, but at the end of the day, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William's relationship was that of a grandson and "Grannie." William, Prince of Wales, shared a heartfelt tribute to his grandmother, the Queen, after her death, writing on Instagram, "I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real." In his post, he acknowledged the wisdom and guidance both he and Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales, have received from the Queen.
William and Queen Elizabeth reportedly shared a strong bond that only got stronger with time. According to the Evening Standard, the Queen began leaning on her grandson more after Prince Philip's death in April 2021. The two may have also grown closer after Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, moved to the U.S. and Prince Andrew made headlines for his association with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal (per The Times).
Now, one royal expert explains why the Queen would be praising William's recent behavior after her death.
After Queen Elizabeth II died, all eyes were on William, Prince of Wales, and Harry, Duke of Sussex. Rumors of the brothers' royal rift have swirled for months, and reconciliation has seemed unlikely. However, the Queen's death may have brought the two together - at least for now. The BBC reported that William and Harry, and their wives Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, united to greet mourning crowds in Windsor. All dressed in black, the four walked closely together as if there was never a rift in the first place.
A source told Page Six that William was responsible for initiating the reunion, an admirable move that The Telegraph's royal expert said would make Queen Elizabeth proud. The expert explains that the Queen lived by the ethos of seeing the best in people, and William chose to follow in her footsteps by reaching out to his brother. Another royal pundit echoed these assertions in The Mirror, saying that the brothers' reunion was "the greatest gift the Queen could have hoped for."
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