Prince Harry has reportedly made a touching private gesture to honour his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on what would have been a landmark birthday for the beloved monarch.
April 21 marked the day the queen would have turned 100, and members of the royal family stepped out publicly to pay tribute. King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales were among those leading commemorations in the UK, as the royal spotlight returned firmly to her legacy.
Meanwhile, over in the United States, the Duke of Sussex is said to have marked the moment in his own quieter way, remembering the grandmother he remained close to until her death in September 2022.
Prince Harry’s ‘gesture’ to Queen Elizabeth II on 100th birthday
According to Town & Country, Prince Harry, 41, arranged for flowers to be sent to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
The late queen was laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, situated within St George’s Chapel, following her state funeral on September 19, 2022.
She now rests alongside her husband Prince Philip, her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and her sister Princess Margaret.
Representatives for Harry have been contacted for comment.
The reported tribute reflects the close relationship Harry shared with his grandmother. He returned to the UK in 2022 to attend her funeral, joined by his wife Meghan Markle, and has since spoken openly about the impact she had on his life.
Harry on hearing about Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, aged 96, at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
At the time, Harry and Meghan were already in the UK carrying out charity engagements. The Duke of Sussex travelled north after learning of her declining health. Although, reports suggest he did not arrive before she passed away.
In his memoir Spare, Harry revealed he first learned of his grandmother’s death through the BBC website.
He recalled receiving a call from his father, then Prince Charles, informing him that the queen’s condition was worsening, before boarding a flight to Scotland.
Harry wrote in Spare: “When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: ‘Call me when you get this.’
“I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King.”
‘I hoped we’d see each other soon’
Reflecting on their final conversations, Harry shared a deeply personal memory of speaking with his grandmother just days before her death.
He said: “I spent almost the whole flight looking at the clouds, reliving the last time I’d spoken to my grandmother. We’d been chatting at length four days before.
I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King.
“We touched on lots of issues. Her health of course, the chaos in Downing Street, the Braemar Games, which she was sorry not to have been able to attend because she wasn’t well.
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“We also spoke about the devastating drought. Meg and I were staying at Frogmore and the lawn was in a really bad state.”
He added: “‘It’s like my head, granny, full of bald spots and brown patches!’ She burst out laughing. I told her to take care of herself and that I hoped we’d see each other soon.”
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