Prince Harry’s new statement and tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Harry’s new tribute to his “Granny” Queen Elizabeth II sees him get deeply personal, drawing on his own connection.

Prince Harry has penned a heartfelt statement to “Granny”, Queen Elizabeth, saying her “unwavering grace and dignity” would be her “everlasting legacy”.

Pre-Meghan, and pre-Meghxit, the cheeky “spare heir” was long considered to have a special place in the Queen’s affections, evidenced by the starring and very funny role she played in a video to promote the Invictus Games in 2016 alongside Harry and Barack and Michelle Obama.

The Duke of Sussex posted the message on Monday to the website for Archewell, the non-profit foundation he set up with Meghan in 2020.

The Queen was a “guiding compass” to many for her “commitment to service and duty”, and her “unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy,” Harry wrote.

Prince Harry chats to Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony on June 15, 2013 in London. Picture: Getty

But in the next part of the statement, Harry went deeply personal, drawing on his own personal connection, and addressed her not as the monarch, but as his grandmother.

“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,” he wrote.

The Duke then thanked her for her “commitment to service” before once again striking a personal note.

“Thank you for your sound advice. Thank you for your infectious smile,” he wrote. “We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.

The mourning period for the Queen has thrown the Royal Family together again, their tensions and faultlines there for all the world to see.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry share a joke as they watch Prince Charles and his bride Camilla Duchess of Cornwall leave St George's Chapel in Windsor following their marriage blessing. Picture: Getty

In his televised address on Friday, King Charles expressed his “love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas” – a choice of words that was noted for its brevity, and also its lack of formal titles.

Prince Harry may have matched the distance in the King’s tone with some coolness of his own, saying merely: “And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.”

Royal watchers had long surmised that the Queen enjoyed a refreshing lack of formality with Harry, and suggested his cheeky, pranking persona may have reminded her of her own husband, Philip.

Speaking to Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, Prince Harry said: “My grandmother and I have a really good relationship and an understanding. And I have a deep respect for her. She’s my Colonel-in-chief, right? She always will be.”

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the long Walk at Windsor Castle arrive to view flowers and tributes to HM Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Getty

READ HIS STATEMENT IN FULL:

In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen — and in mourning her loss — we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty.

She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy.

Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: “Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings.”

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 honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.

Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for your sound advice. Thank you for your infectious smile.

We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.

Originally published as Prince Harry’s new statement and tribute to Queen Elizabeth II