Despite Family Tension, the Queen “Adores” Prince Harry, Friend Says
“If Harry asks, the Queen would say yes.”
Prince Harry may have taken a step back as a working member of the royal family over two years ago—but he will always be Queen Elizabeth’s grandson.
And a beloved one at that: PEOPLE quotes a friend as saying that Her Majesty adores Harry, who recently traveled to the U.K. alongside wife Meghan Markle and children Archie and Lilibet, named for the Queen’s familial nickname.
“If Harry asks, the Queen would say yes,” a friend tells the outlet of the bond between the Queen and the Duke of Sussex. “She adores him.”
The pair’s relationship was put on display in front of the entire world in 2016, when Harry asked his grandmother to join him for a cheeky, playful video to promote Harry’s Invictus Games, a cause close to his heart.
For those that don’t remember this video, a refresher: As they sit on a floral sofa in Windsor Castle, Harry leans in to show his grandmother a short video on his phone, where then-President Barack Obama and then-First Lady Michelle Obama teased him about the upcoming games, saying that the U.S. was preparing to win big.
“One of the servicemen surrounding the Obamas sent out a triumphant ‘boom’ to underscore the boast,” PEOPLE reports.
In response, as cameras rolled, the normally stoic Queen “shrugged her shoulders and said in classic understatement: ‘Boom, really? Please.’”
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
It’s a moment that could really have only happened with Harry by her side.
“Six years later, it’s clear there are few, if any, members of the Queen’s extended family who would have the confidence and the humor to ask the Queen to take part in such a stunt,” PEOPLE writes. “Harry’s doing so underlined both the respect between him and his grandmother and her willingness to show a different side of herself for him—in front of the world.”
Obviously, much has changed since 2016: Harry met and married Meghan, became a father, stepped back from life as a working royal, moved to the U.S., endured a pandemic, and has experienced friction with his father, Prince Charles, and, more notably, his brother, Prince William. But, despite all of this, the bond between grandmother and grandson remains in place: Harry and the Queen chat frequently via video calls, and Harry has publicly stated that he is protective of his grandmother, wishing to keep the right people around the monarch.
“For her part, the Queen has had to steer a tricky course between sympathy for the couple [Harry and Meghan] and firmness in favor of her role as monarch,” PEOPLE writes.
Yet, though Her Majesty was forced to make tough decisions surrounding Harry (and Meghan’s) status as working royals—including not allowing them to stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour earlier this month—her role as an adoring grandmother remains firmly intact.
“One thing about the Queen is she has to manage being a grandmother, but also how it affects the wider institution,” a royal insider tells the outlet.
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Prince Harry Advises "Never Google Yourself," Says He Feels "Most Sorry For Trolls" in Candid Interview
"It’s almost like a competition of who can hide the truth or lie or mislead us more," the Duke of Sussex said.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
15 Outfit Formulas to Get Katie Holmes’s Winter Style
Recreate her streamlined looks with cozy quilted coats, sleek knee-high boots, and more.
By Lauren Tappan Published
-
Prince Harry Says His New Chapter in California Is "The Life My Mum Wanted For Me"
The Duke of Sussex opened up on therapy, his childhood and the media at the 'New York Times' DealBook Summit.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Prince Harry Advises "Never Google Yourself," Says He Feels "Most Sorry For Trolls" in Candid Interview
"It’s almost like a competition of who can hide the truth or lie or mislead us more," the Duke of Sussex said.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Prince Harry and Prince William Avoid a Joint Appearance With Separate Diana Award Tributes
The royal brothers remembered their late mother while supporting the charity's 25th anniversary.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
A New Report Debunks Allegations That Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Foundation Is Missing Millions of Dollars
In fact, quite the opposite.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
The Royal Family's Christmas Rules Range From Funny to Outrageous
"Don't suggest playing Monopoly, it's banned!"
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Princess Charlotte Inherited a Secret "Ability" From Her Great-Grandmother Queen Elizabeth
"Queen Elizabeth used to have her family in stitches."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Prince Harry Hinted at Starting a Family and Moving Abroad in a 2015 Interview, Pre-Meghan Markle
"Whenever anyone says to me that it was Meghan's fault they left, that conversation always springs to mind."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
How Meghan Markle's Queen Elizabeth-Themed Gift For Prince Harry Got "Smashed" on Christmas Eve
"Pieces lay all over the floor."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
This Royal Just Shared the Sweetest Detail about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Christmas Tradition
"Of course" they joined in, the royal said.
By Kristin Contino Published