PRINCE William said he had hoped the Queen “might get a bit more” time as he spoke with well-wishers this week.
The Prince of Wales, 40, made the heartfelt comment as he met mourners in Sandringham on Thursday.
Prince William met with well-wishers at Sandringham and revealed he wished his grandmother would have had more time
The Prince and Princess of Wales met with crowds at Sandringham
Kate reportedly told a crowd member she was also finding it tough to see the sweet messages
He said he was pleased his children were able to have a relationship with their great-grandmother – as he did with his.
But he suggested he had hoped she might follow in her own mother’s footsteps – who lived until she was 101.
It comes as…
- Man tackled to ground after ‘trying to pull flag’ from Queen’s coffin in front of horrified mourners at Westminster Hall
- Camilla reveals Royals are ‘exhausted’ but are carrying on as ‘stopping would be worse’ as she visits Wales with Charles
- Prince William will lead the Queen’s grandchildren at a poignant vigil at her coffin tomorrow
- Prince Harry will wear his uniform at the vigil after being granted permission by King Charles
- The list of 500 heads of state and dignitaries attending the Queen’s funeral has been confirmed
- Sophie Wessex is reportedly set to take on a number of the Queen’s old roles
- Queen Consort Camilla has been soldiering on with her duties despite breaking a toe two weeks ago
- Entry to see the Queen lying in state has been paused for at least six hours
Speaking to a member of the crowd, Wills said: “I remember my great-grandmother, you see.
“She lived until 101. We thought my grandmother might get a bit more…”
More on the royal family
On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales met with crowds at Sandringham and observed the flowers and letters left by fans.
William admitted he has found it “hard” to read the heartfelt tributes left by royal fans for the Queen.
And he told well-wishers he finds the children’s notes the hardest to read.
William told one person who came to pay their respects: “It’s very moving.
“I find reading the notes quite hard actually, especially the children’s notes, they get me every time.”
During the same walkabout, Kate Middleton reportedly told a crowd member she was also finding it tough to see the sweet messages.
Fran Morgan recalled: “She [Kate] said she couldn’t believe how many cards and flowers there were.
“But she also said: ‘I can’t read them all or I would cry.’”
Many handed bouquets to Kate, who smiled as she interacted with the crowds.
And the Princess of Wales told one mourner their children – Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and four-year-old Prince Louis – were handling the tragedy of losing their great-grandmother well.
Lynne, from Wymondham in Norfolk, told the BBC: “My daughter Jo, who has a great affinity with children and knows that Kate does as well, asked her how the children were doing.
“Kate thanked her and said they were doing well and they were being looked after at school.”
Kate reportedly told another well-wisher that George understood that the Queen had died, but his younger siblings “less so”.
And William said it had been an incredibly difficult time for the family which had brought back memories of losing his mother in 1997.
A crowd member also told the emotional Prince she was close to tears, to which he replied: “Don’t cry now – you’ll start me.”
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And he told a third mourner: “I’m learning that she was everyone’s grandmother – the way people have reacted.”
Huge numbers of mourners have already paid their respects following Her Majesty’s death last week, and thousands more are expected to over the coming days.
Prince William, 12, pictured standing with his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother on her 94th birthday
