28 May 2024 , 09:39
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The death of Queen Elizabeth marked the end of the longest reign the UK had ever known from a monarch, and as the Royal Family ushered in the Caroleon era, tributes were paid to the late monarch around the world.
With world leaders sending their condolences and the public queueing up to pay tribute to the late Queen one last time as she lay in state, there was one tribute that particularly struck an emotional chord with royal fans - that of Prince Louis, the youngest child of Prince William and Princess Kate.
Kate shared the heartbreaking comment that Louis - then aged four - made about the death of his great-grandmother while she was meeting members of the public outside Windsor Castle, just two days after the late Queen's death in September 2022.
Kate was viewing tributes left outside Windsor Castle - alongside her husband Prince William and her brother and sister-in-law, Harry and Meghan - and the two couples chatted with waiting members of the public about the loss of Queen Elizabeth, when Kate revealed her youngest child's reaction to her death.
"The whole nation's being very brave, aren't they?" Kate said to an emotional well-wisher, "Don't worry I have plenty of moments like this too. My little Louis, he's just so sweet, he's like 'Mummy, don't worry, she's now with great-grandpa.' It just shows you how special she was to everybody, all generations."
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The late Queen's husband and Louis' great-grandfather, Prince Philip, had died the year before the Queen, aged 99, in April 2021. The late monarch's appearance sitting alone at his socially distanced funeral - which took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic - was itself a heartbreaking image, as she said goodbye to her husband of 73 years. Downing Street reportedly offered to ease the social restrictions for Philip's funeral, but the late Queen declined, per The Independent, "because it would be unfair for her to have special treatment when others were also grieving for their loved ones in lockdown."
Kate revealed Louis' reaction in a walkabout in Windsor (PA)Meanwhile, at the time, Kate's walkabout dominated headlines for being conducted jointly with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - with whom the Waleses are well known to have a strained relationship. It was one of the few times the couples had been seen together since Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020.
They came together to pay their respects to the late Queen several times over the mourning period, including when Princes Harry and William both took part in the grandchildren's vigil, which saw the estranged brothers - accompanied by their cousins - stand guard around their grandmother's coffin in Westminster Hall.
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