Prince Henry’s first words about Elizabeth II: “Thank you for your contagious smile”

Prince Henry wanted to pay a heartfelt and emotional tribute to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday, September 8. In an open letter he refers to her as her “compass of hers” and promises to “honor” her father in her new role as king. A message that has become the first public reaction by the Duke of Sussex since the death of the British monarch.

“Grandma, while this final farewell brings us great sadness, I will be eternally grateful for all of our first encounters, from my earliest childhood memories with you, to first meeting you as my commander in chief, to the moment you met me. dear wife and you hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,” Prince Harry, 37, writes in a statement, in which he also states that he “misses so much” his grandmother.

In the same letter, Henry of England, now fifth in the line of succession to the British throne, did not want to miss the opportunity to extol the professional facet of Elizabeth II and her dedication to the British crown: “By celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, and as we mourn her loss, we all remember the compass she was to so many in their commitment to service and duty. She was admired and respected throughout the world. Her unwavering grace and dignity of hers remained true throughout her life and now her legacy is eternal.”

The good relationship that Prince Henry had with Elizabeth II is notorious, with whom he came to star in a video that went viral, in which the monarch, at 90 years old, appeared with her grandson in some images with which they responded to the challenge launched by Michelle and Barack Obama to promote the Invictus Games, held in Orlando in 2016 and created by Enrique.

“I appreciate those moments shared with you, among many other special ones. We already miss you a lot, not only us, but the world, ”adds Enrique, who has lived with his wife Meghan Markle in California since 2020, after a resounding and controversial departure from the British monarchy. However, despite the family disagreements, he had always stressed that he had a good relationship with the queen. “Thank you for your commitment to service. Thanks for your solid advice. Thank you for your contagious smile. We, too, smile knowing that you and your grandfather are now reunited and the two of you together in peace ”, the Duke of Sussex concludes in his letter, alluding to his grandfather, Prince Philip of Edinburgh, who died in 2021.

Enrique, who was in Germany and was going to travel to London to participate in a charity event when his grandmother died at her residence in Balmoral (Scotland), has also taken the opportunity to express support for his father in his new role as king of the British. “And since it is about the first meetings, now we honor my father in his new role as King Charles III,” he writes, after having softened in recent days relations with his father and his brother Guillermo, heir to the throne and Prince of Wales, which have been notoriously tense since his March 2020 departure for the United States. For his part, Charles III expressed his “love” for Enrique and Meghan, in his first speech after proclaiming himself king.

In addition, this letter, full of beautiful words to the figure of his grandmother and good intentions towards his family and the continuation of the monarchy, arrives after the public appearance, after two and a half years, together with his brother Guillermo and his wife Catalina and with his wife Meghan Markle. The princes of Wales invited the Dukes of Sussex last Saturday to greet those who have paid tribute to Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, in an image that represents a gesture of public reconciliation. Both couples were in Windsor, where William and Catherine live with their three children and where Harry and Meghan stay during their visits to the United Kingdom.