Prince William is sharing one of the private memories of Queen Elizabeth II that has stayed with him most clearly.
The Prince of Wales contributed a video message to the Queen Elizabeth Digital Memorial, an online tribute collecting public memories, archive material and official records from the late monarch’s reign.
People reported that William recalled quiet afternoons at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip while he was a student at nearby Eton College.
Instead of focusing on state occasions or public ceremonies, William chose a family memory: tea, cake, conversation, dogs, horses and the side of his grandmother that he saw away from royal duty.
William Remembered Tea at Windsor Castle
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William said some of his fondest memories of Queen Elizabeth came from Windsor Castle. He remembered visiting his grandparents there when he was at Eton, sitting with them for tea and cake, and seeing the late Queen in a relaxed family setting.
“I remember many a quiet afternoon, having tea with her and my grandfather at the castle, chatting, sharing stories, and seeing how completely at ease she was here, surrounded by family and her much-loved dogs and horses,” William said in the recording, according to People.
He also said the late Queen gave him “a love of teatime” he did not know he needed. William ended the message by saying those moments with his grandmother are ones he will “always hold dear.”
The Memory Also Included Her Love of Horses
William’s tribute also returned to one of Queen Elizabeth’s lifelong passions. He remembered watching her ride in Windsor Great Park, including in her later years, and said those moments showed a side of “Granny” the public did not often see.
People reported that William described her as “off-duty, relaxed and utterly at home” when she was around her horses at Windsor. The setting mattered in the tribute because Windsor was one of the places most closely tied to her private life as well as her public reign.
The Times also reported that William connected the Windsor visits to his lasting affection for teatime, saying the memory was part of what he carried from his relationship with his grandmother.
The Tribute Is Part of a Larger Digital Memorial
The Queen Elizabeth Digital Memorial launched on April 21, 2026, the day Queen Elizabeth would have turned 100. The U.K. government said the project brings together archive material, photography, video and public memories to map key events from the Queen’s life and reign.
The memorial also includes a fully digitized version of the Court Circular covering Queen Elizabeth’s reign from 1952 to 2022. The Court Circular is the official diary of royal engagements, and the searchable archive is intended to let the public explore the duties she carried out across seven decades.
The government said the first selection of public memories is now live through an interactive map, with more memories due to be published during 2026. The memorial invites people from the U.K., the Commonwealth and around the world to contribute their own recollections.
Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022, at age 96 after the longest reign in British history.