As the palace planned out every second of the Queen’s jubilee, for her, there was only one thing that mattered – having every member of her family by her side.
WATCH BELOW: Prince Harry reveals the Queen bought Archie a waffle maker
And while it was touch-and-go as to whether Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would attend due to a dispute over their royal security, the 96-year-old was “truly thrilled” that the pair were a last-minute inclusion for the weekend festivities.
New Idea understands the monarch rearranged her packed schedule to spend quality time with her American great-grandkids, Archie, 3, and her sweet little namesake Lilibet – who also celebrated a special milestone on Saturday, her 1st birthday.
“As soon as the Queen found out Harry and Meghan were coming, she told her staff she intended to make a big fuss for the kids, especially as it’s Lili’s birthday,” says a source.
Eager to get off on the right foot with the Sussexes, the Queen sent her personal fleet of bulletproof vehicles to meet the family at their private jet, which ferried them from Farnborough Airport to Frogmore Cottage last Wednesday afternoon.
“The Queen believed it was the right thing to do,” says a source, who was speaking to UK newspaper The Sun.
“The plan was for her to visit with them at Frogmore Cottage, or have the Sussexes come up to Windsor Castle – all far from prying eyes behind the walls of the Windsor Estate, so she could have quality time with them,” says a source.
“Archie’s the cheeky epitome of his father at his age, so he would’ve kept Her Majesty entertained, and Lili, who’s walking, is just a doll. They both would have their Gan-Gan wrapped around their little fingers.”
No doubt, Her Majesty treated the tiny tots to one of her favourite traditions, inviting them for afternoon tea – just as she did with Harry and Prince William when they were kids.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed these happy occasions were always full of “lots of sugar”.
“For afternoon tea, the chefs would suggest sandwiches and scones – we didn’t tell the Queen what she was having because we knew what a lot of her favourites were. But the other cakes, the small cakes changed every single day,” he says in a new interview.
“If she had, say, Prince William coming for afternoon tea, she knew her grandson loved chocolate biscuit cake, so she’d write that in.”
For more, pick up a copy of New Idea. On sale now!
