Prince William, who cares deeply about the unity of the royal family, was very close to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. However, there was no sense of permissiveness: as the family matriarch, she stepped in whenever it was necessary.
One childhood incident has remained vivid in the Prince of Wales’ memory. He and his cousin Peter Phillips were chasing Zara Tindall around Balmoral, and when the situation got a little out of hand, the late Queen Elizabeth scolded her grandchildren.
“We were chasing Zara, who was riding a go-kart, and Peter and I managed to corner her by a lamppost. The lamppost fell and almost crushed her, and I remember my grandmother being the first person at Balmoral to run across the lawn in her kilt,” he recalled.
William remembered how the Queen hurried over and gave him and Peter a stern talking-to. Her reaction was more than justified, given the circumstances!
Even into adulthood, Her Majesty occasionally kept the Prince of Wales in check. Who could forget the moment at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2016, when William leaned down to speak to Prince George on the balcony? Gently admonishing her grandson, Queen Elizabeth reportedly said: “Stand up, William. Don’t crouch.”
Life in the royal family may be lived under public scrutiny, but moments like these remind us that they also experience ordinary family ups and downs. Prince William has always spoken warmly about his grandmother, praising her constant presence and guidance.
“She was always ready to offer advice and support. It’s important to perform royal duties in your own way, but also to do them correctly. She appreciated that we had our own style. This is a new generation, and there’s no sense in everyone doing things the same way. Modernizing the royal family is what makes it interesting and relevant,” he said.