Queen Elizabeth passed away last September at 96 years old, and when you think of the royal family, she’s naturally likely the first person to come to mind. Then there are probably the thoughts of some castles, the cuteness that is Princess Charlotte, and…IDK, a bunch of frolicking corgis. But the thing is, the royal family is truly huge. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had four children (hi, Prince King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward), meaning when they each passed, they had a ton of grandchildren succeeding them. Obviously, Prince William and Prince Harry are on this list, but Her Majesty also had grandchildren who are less in the spotlight—and don’t even have titles. Let’s get to know all of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren, shall we?
Prince William
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I mean, duh! Prince William, 41, is first in line to the throne right after his dad, King Charles, and as such, he had a hugely important relationship with his grandmother. And according to the Sunday Times, scandal and drama in the royal family as recent as in 2021 brought William even closer to Her Majesty—a royal courtier said that it had “changed the way the Queen [saw] him and valued his input” and that their views were “more aligned than ever.”
William himself opened up about his close relationship with his grandmother in the ITV documentary Our Queen at 90, saying, “Growing up, having this figurehead, having this stability above me has been incredible.I have been able to explore, understand, slightly carve my own path. I greatly appreciate and value that protection.”
Also, please watch this, lol:
Prince Harry
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While 38-year-old Prince Harry is fifth in line to the throne (so fairly high in the line of succession!), he’s no longer a senior working member of the royal family due to stepping away from his royal duties and moving to L.A. with Meghan Markle and their children, Archie and Lilibet. But still, Harry remained super close with his grandmother, whom he would often chat with on Zoom. He also stressed that claims that he blindsided the Queen by leaving his royal duties were false, telling Oprah, “No, I never blindsided my grandmother. I have too much respect for her.”
Sadly, Harry hadn’t been able to spend much time with the Queen prior to her death due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but he *did* reunite with her at Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021 and then again in April 2022 when he took a quick trip to London to visit the late Queen and King Charles on his way to the Netherlands for the 2022 Invictus Games.
Zara Phillips
Parents: Princess Anne and Mark Phillips
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Zara Phillips, 42, is 21st in line to the throne now that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's youngest is here, and unlike a lot of her cousins, she’s not a working royal. But she is a casual Olympian who won a silver medal at the 2012 Games in London! Another difference between Zara and her cousins? She doesn’t have a title, which was a decision her parents made. Zara spoke in 2015 about how she’s grateful for their choice, telling The Times, “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”
Despite not being a working royal, Zara and her husband, former England rugby player Mike Tindall, were close with Her Majesty, and royal expert Ingrid Seward even told The Sun that the Queen had a “tighter bond with them than she [did] with Kate and William.” She added, “The Queen…always adored Zara and is so proud of her riding success. They have a lot in common as they talk horses and the Queen has invested in several horses for her.”
Peter Phillips
Parents: Princess Anne and Mark Phillips
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Lol, what to say about Peter Phillips? Anne’s 45-year-old son (who is poised to be 18th in line to the throne) isn’t exactly like the other royals, by which I mean he's done an ad for literal milk. Like, no, he’s not a working member of the royal family, but wow.
Anyway, Peter and the Queen were also tight despite his dairy sponcon, and back in 2016, he told The Telegraph, “I’ve always been very close to my grandmother, and we speak often. She has been an inspirational person throughout my life.”
Princess Beatrice
Parents: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
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Thirty-five-year-old Princess Beatrice is the oldest daughter of Andrew and Sarah, and she seemed exceedingly fond of her grandmother. In fact, Beatrice (who’s 10th in line to the throne with the addition of bb Ernest) wore one of Queen Elizabeth’s vintage dresses to her wedding—and Her Majesty was one of just a handful of guests at the ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions.
A source told People that Queen Elizabeth actually saved her own 1947 wedding tiara for Beatrice to wear on her special day, saying, “Beatrice talks about her grandmother often, and it’s clear there’s a strong bond there. The dress and the tiara could not have been more perfect.”
Princess Eugenie
Parents: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
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Princess Eugenie, 33, is the youngest daughter of Andrew and Sarah and set to be 11th in line to the throne. Like her sister, she had a close relationship with her grandmother—whom she called Granny. In fact, Queen Elizabeth was among the first people Eugenie told about her engagement to Jack Brooksbank, saying, “Granny actually knew right at the beginning. She was one of the very few people.”
Eugenie often accompanied her grandmother to formal events and spent a lot of time with her at the royals’ Balmoral estate, which she’s gushed about. “It’s the most beautiful place on Earth,” she said in the documentary Our Queen at 90. “I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands…walks, picnics, dogs—a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs!—and people coming in and out all the time. Family-wise, we’re all there, so it’s a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa to be—for us to come and see them up there, where you just have room to breathe and run.”
Lady Louise Windsor
Parents: Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex
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Lady Louise Windsor is the 19-year-old daughter of Edward and Sophie, and despite being 16th in line to the throne, she happened to be Queen Elizabeth’s favorite grandchild (lol, sorry, Wills and Harry). As a source told The Sun, “She has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favorite grandchild, closely followed by James.”
Louise and her brother have stayed pretty out of the spotlight, but they’re taking on more royal duties in the wake of Meghan and Harry stepping down. So why isn’t Lady Louise a princess? Apparently, Edward and Sophie simply didn’t want their kids to have titles—and according to The Express, they obtained the Queen’s consent to opt out. I mean…“Lady” also seems pretty fancy, but okay!
James Viscount Severn
Parents: Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex
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James Viscount Severn is rarely seen at royal events due to being just 15 (and 15th in line to the throne), but he was also a fave of the Queen’s! That same source told The Sun, “The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral,” so it seems like he spent a lot of time with his grandmother. Like his older sister, James doesn’t have an HRH (His Royal Highness) title, but Sophie told the Sunday Times he can opt in when he turns 18:
“We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but it’s highly unlikely.”What James does have? A whole-ass lake named after him in Canada, lol.
And Let’s Not Forget the Great-Grandchildren
Of which there are 12! Ahem, presenting: Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips (whose parents are Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly); Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis (whose parents are Prince William and Princess of Wales Kate Middleton); Mia Tindall, Lena Tindall, and Lucas Philip Tindall (whose parents are Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall); Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor (whose parents are Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle); August Philip Hawke Brooksbank and Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank (whose parents are Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank); and Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi (whose parents are Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi).
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