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Paying tribute to his ‘granny’, Prince Harry noted that he fondly looks back on his memories with the Queen, thanking Her Majesty for her ‘infectious smile’.
With Queen Elizabeth II becoming ‘one of the most important women’ in the Duke of Sussex’s life following the death of his mother, the grandmother-grandson duo have often been captured grinning at each other.
Over the years, the pair developed a ‘very jokey and warm’ dynamic, according to Vanity Fair magazine, whether that was behind closed doors or even at more formal events.
Indeed, Harry told NBC in 2021 that his favourite thing about his grandmother was her ‘sense of humour and ability to see humour in so many different things’.
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He added: ‘We have a really special relationship. We talk about things she can’t talk about with anyone else.’
Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl revealed in her 2010 book, William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls, that Her Majesty was often ‘on the receiving end’ of her grandson’s pranks.
This included Harry changing the Queen’s voicemail recording, giving the late monarch’s private secretary the ‘shock of his life’.
According to Nicholl, the message said: ‘Hey, wassup? This is Liz! Sorry, I’m away from the throne. For a hotline to Philip, press one, for Charles press two, for the corgis, press three.’
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Harry was even rumoured to have gifted his grandmother a shower cap adorned with ‘ain’t life a bitch’, which the Queen found ‘hilarious’.
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The public were treated to a glimpse of the pair’s shared sense of humour in promotional video for the 2016 Invictus Games.
In the film, Harry receives a video message from then-President Barack Obama with his wife Michelle, in which they say they are going to ‘bring it’ at the Invictus Games, ending the message with a fake mic drop.
The Queen, shrugging her shoulders at her grandson, replied, ‘oh, really, please’, as a smiling Harry returned the mic drop to the camera.
When asked about his grandmother’s involvement in the video, the Prince told the BBC: ‘Naturally, I was going to drag the Queen into it and say “do you want to be part of this” and she was more than happy to oblige.’
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They were even captured joking while at work, as the Queen, in her role as Commander-in Chief of the armed forces, inspected her grandson whilst he was at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Despite needing to maintain a straight face, the two couldn’t help but grin at each other as the late monarch addressed soldiers at the Sovereign’s Parade.
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The Queen and Harry were also often captured sharing knowing-glances during public events, and both have also outwardly supported and praised each other to the public over the years.
After the death of Princess Diana, the Queen did her best to protect Harry and Prince William.
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Speaking in the 2017 BBC documentary, Diana, 7 Days, William explained that the morning after learning of his mother’s tragic accident, he and Harry accompanied the Queen to church as they usually did, but there was no mention of Diana throughout the service.
He said: ‘At the time, my grandmother wanted to protect her two grandsons, and my father as well.
‘Our grandmother deliberately removed the newspapers, and things like that, so there was nothing in the house at all, so we didn’t know what was going on.’
In 2016, in an ITV documentary celebrating the late-Queen’s 90th birthday, Harry described his grandmother as ‘incredible’.
He said: ‘I look at the Commonwealth and think, “look how much it’s achieved.”
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‘She should be incredibly proud of what she’s led and what she’s achieved and what she’s created amongst a huge amount of people from different ethnic backgrounds, different skin colours, different experiences, different islands – whatever it be.
‘Hats off to her, it’s incredible.’
The Queen also publicly showed support for Harry’s decision to move with his wife to the United States, and no longer serve as a ‘working royal’.
In the tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan said: ‘It’s important to be able to compartmentalise the difference between the Firm and the family, because the Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me.’
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Following Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave the UK, the Queen responded by thanking them on their hard work.
She said: ‘Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.
‘I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.
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‘I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across the country, the Commonwealth, and beyond, and I am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.’
One of the most poignant moments of affection Harry showed to his grandmother was naming his daughter, Lilibet, after her.
Harry told his friends that he even sought the blessing to do so, which Her Majesty was happy to give.
In his tribute to the Queen following her death, Harry touched upon his humorous relationship with his grandmother.
He said: ‘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.
‘Thank you for you sound advice. Thank you for your infectious smile.
‘We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.’
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