The Duke of Sussex today paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother the Queen as he praised her ‘sound advice’ and ‘infectious smile’ and called her a ‘guiding compass’ through her commitment to service and duty.
In a statement released today, which is understood to have been held back a day out of respect for the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Duke also said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as King.
He said: ‘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.”
He added: ‘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.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle on Saturday after the Queen’s death
The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on Saturday
The Duke of Sussex has paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother the Queen as he thanked her for her ‘sound advice’
‘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.’
Harry’s statement comes two days after the Prince and Princess of Wales put on a united front with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they joined forces on a walkabout at Windsor Castle over the weekend.
As the couple’s first engagement under their new titles, William and Kate were joined by Harry and Meghan for the first time since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020. They inspected flowers and balloons before a walkabout at the venue on Saturday.
A royal source said the Prince of Wales asked his brother and his wife to join them in viewing the tributes.
The source said: ‘The Prince of Wales invited the Duke and Duchess to join him and the Princes of Wales earlier.’
The last time William was joined in public by his brother at Windsor Castle was at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in April last year.
Both couples left in the same vehicle as the engagement, which lasted more than 40 minutes, came to a close. All four were dressed in black as they walked along the gates of the castle.
The crowd was heard chatting excitedly and taking photographs as William and Kate and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stopped to speak to each person at the front of the barriers.
The royal couples walked along separately from one another, with William and Kate speaking to people on one side of the road and Harry and Meghan speaking to people on the other side of the road.
Today, large crowds are expected in Scotland today as King Charles III prepares to lead the royal family in a procession behind the coffin of his mother when it travels to an Edinburgh cathedral to allow the public to pay their respects.
The Queen will be taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral where her family, and a congregation drawn from all areas of Scottish society, will attend a service of thanksgiving for her life.
Full details about the royal mourners have yet to be released but there is speculation the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, who on Saturday put on a united front during an appearance at Windsor Castle, will be part of the group.
Soldiers in the Life Guards at Wellington Barracks in London practise for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession this morning
Soldiers in the Life Guards at Wellington Barracks in London practise for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession this morning
Soldiers in the Life Guards at Wellington Barracks in London practise for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession this morning
Soldiers in the Life Guards at Wellington Barracks in London practise for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession this morning
Soldiers in the Life Guards at Wellington Barracks in London practise for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession this morning
Charles will lead some of the royals – expected to be the Duke of York, Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence – on foot, while the Queen Consort and other members of the monarchy follow in cars.
Members of the public will be able to view the coffin to pay their respects for 24 hours before it is taken to London to lie in state.
Later in the evening, the King and other members of his family, likely his siblings, will hold a vigil at the cathedral in honour of the Queen.
Charles and Camilla are in London and, before leaving for the Scottish capital, will visit Westminster Hall, where both Houses of Parliament will express their condolences to the new monarch and his wife, with the King giving his reply.
During his day in Edinburgh, the King will inspect a guard of honour at the Palace of Holyroodhouse before attending a ceremony of the keys on the forecourt.
At the Palace, the King will hold audiences with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and, separately, Alison Johnstone, Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer.
Words of sympathy will be expressed by the Scottish Parliament when Charles and Camilla attend to receive a motion of condolence, with the King replying.
Ms Johnstone told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that parliament will ‘come together to express through a motion of condolence our deepest condolences to His Majesty the King and to the royal family’.
She added: ‘The tone will be respectful. This afternoon gives us an opportunity to reflect on the life of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, to pay gratitude for that life and to ensure that the royal family have the support… the heartfelt sympathies of the Scottish people.’
Edinburgh City Council leader Cammy Day said on Monday the city is expecting large crowds.
‘We’re expecting tens of thousands of people to be up and down the high street as Her Majesty comes up to St Giles’ and then onwards from there tomorrow,’ he told BBC Radio Scotland.
‘Our advice to people is to get to the city centre as quickly and early as you can (and) use public transport because the city has diversions or road closures.
‘We are looking forward to welcoming tens of thousands of people to give Her Majesty the send off that the city will give her.’
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: ‘The Queen loved Scotland and Scotland loved the Queen and I think we showed that yesterday.
‘I think we’ll see that again today with the service of thanksgiving, and I think it is a fitting tribute to the late Queen that Scotland is able to play this role at this early part in the national mourning,’ he told BBC Radio 4.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the King’s appearance in Parliament will be a moment of ‘reflection’ and ‘great sadness’.
‘It’s a part of Westminster which is resplendent with history,’ he told Sky News. ‘I think we’ll all be very proud – proud of our country, proud of our amazing monarchy.’
Meanwhile, former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, said the armed forces have a ‘special bond’ with their monarch.
‘Much has been made of the fact that when we join the Army, Navy, Air Force, whatever, we sign, we swear an oath of allegiance.
‘Seamlessly, when the Queen breathed her last last Thursday, our allegiance as soldiers of the Queen, we immediately became soldiers of the King. And that’s a very special link that the military have.
‘We carry out operations at risk of life and limb, not in the name of the Government or the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State for Defence, we do it in the name of the sovereign and the people of this country.
‘That’s a very special link, a very special bond. Actually, I think it makes the British armed forces themselves pretty special as a result.’
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