Prince Harry on Monday paid tribute to his late grandmother Elizabeth II, whom he called a “compass”, and thanked his “grandma” for her sense of duty and her “contagious smile”.
“As we celebrate the life and mourn the loss of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, we are all reminded of the compass that has guided so many through their dedication to service and duty,” said a statement released on April 37 -year-old prince whose break with the royal family in 2020 shook the monarchy.
“Grandmother, although we are very saddened by this final farewell, I am forever grateful for all our first encounters, from my earliest childhood memories, our first encounter as Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my beloved wife and where you found yours hugged great-grandchildren,” he continued.
“I cherish those times I shared with you and the many other special moments in between. You will already be greatly missed, not only by us but by the whole world,” added the prince, who resides in California with his wife Meghan Markle.
“And as these are the first meetings, we now honor my father in his new role as King Charles III,” he said, as relations with his father and older brother William are notoriously sour.
“Thank you for your dedication to service. Thanks for your wise advice. Thank you for your contagious smile,” he added.
Since his surprise departure from the UK, the prince has admitted to having difficult relationships with his father and William but has always emphasized that he has maintained good relations with the sovereign, who died in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
In Britain he arrived at the Balmoral residence separated from the rest of the family at the time of his death and long after his death.
In signs of possible rapprochement Charles III. expressed his “love” for Harry and Meghan in his first speech. And on Saturday William, now heir to the throne and Prince of Wales, and Harry appeared together in Windsor to pay their respects with their respective wives in front of flowers in memory of the Queen.
It was the couple’s first public appearance since March 2020, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK.
The two couples were in Windsor, where William and Kate live with their three children, and where Harry and Meghan were staying when they were visiting the UK for charity events but hadn’t originally planned to see each other.