Missing his grandmother. Prince Harry broke his silence on Queen Elizabeth II‘s death while speaking to mourners outside Windsor Castle on Saturday, September 10.
“It’s a lonely place up there now without her,” the U.K. native, 37, told well-wishers while pointing to the castle in a video obtained by The Sun. “Every room she was in, you felt her presence throughout.”
The BetterUp CIO and his wife, Meghan Markle, joined Prince William and Princess Kate on Saturday as they walked through Windsor greeting mourners who’d lined the streets to pay their respects to the queen.
An insider told Us Weekly that the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, 40, “invited” his brother and the Suits alum, 41, to join him and the new Princess of Wales, also 40, for the appearance.
Buckingham Palace announced the news of the queen’s death at age 96 on Thursday, September 8. Ahead of her passing, William, Harry, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla all traveled to Balmoral, Scotland, to see the monarch amid news that doctors had placed her under medical supervision.
Harry, however, was seen arriving in Scotland after the palace had already announced his grandmother’s passing. “Harry is guilt-stricken — full of sorrow and regret about not saying goodbye to the queen,” a source told Us of the Invictus Games founder. “They met up a couple of times during the Platinum Jubilee, but he by no means expected it to be the last time he saw her.”
Buckingham Palace announced the monarch’s death three months after the Jubilee, which commemorated her 70 years on the throne. The former sovereign was joined by other members of the royal family to celebrate her reign — which was the longest one in British history.
Charles, 73, and Camilla, 75, were by Elizabeth’s side amid the festivities. William and Kate also appeared at the palace with their three children: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, returned to the U.K. as a family for the first time, bringing their children, son Archie, 3, and daughter Lili, 15 months.
The former military pilot and former actress tied the knot in May 2018 after the queen gave her formal instrument of consent earlier that same month. “NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle,” the document read.
One year after their nuptials, the pair welcomed their son. The family of three then went on their first royal visit in November 2019 to South Africa, which Elizabeth loved.
“She’s seeing a more mature, responsible side of Harry, and she’s really impressed with how Meghan’s upped her game,” a source told Us exclusively following the trip. “This is the real Meghan. It’s not an act. And while she’ll never replace [Princess] Diana, she’s determined to follow in her footsteps.”
The former Tig blogger won over her grandmother-in-law “on more than a few occasions, privately and publicly,” another insider told Us in June 2018, adding, “[Meghan] quickly demonstrated that she is intelligent, polite and keen to learn. [Her] enthusiasm towards living a life of service and humanitarianism excites the queen and it’s just the type of vim and vigor she likes to see in someone.”
However, things grew tense in January 2020 when Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. The duo made their final official royal appearance two months later.
Two months after the pair’s move to California, Prince Philip died at age 99 after 73 years married to Elizabeth. The pair wed at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, in front of 2,000 guests. The royals went on to welcome Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
After Philip’s April death at age 99, the queen paid tribute to her longtime love in her birthday statement.
“My family and I would like to thank you for all the support and kindness shown to us in recent days,” she said at the time. “We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
