The Prince of Wales said today that he “can’t believe it has been three years” since the death of his grandmother as he paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the third anniversary of her death.
William visited the national federation of the Women’s Institute (WI) in Sunningdale, Ascot to mark the third anniversary of the late Queen’s death on Monday.
He was joined by his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, in the surprise joint engagement for the couple.
Kate’s presence was a poignant addition, underlining the personal significance of the occasion for them.
The engagement honoured the late Queen’s remarkable 80-year association with the WI, during which she was a lifelong member and served as president of the Sandringham branch.
It came as Prince Harry flew into the UK for a four day visit, which he began by privately paying his respects at his grandmother’s grave.
After jetting into Heathrow for his first visit to the UK in five months, the Duke of Sussex paid a private visit to the Queen’s resting place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The brothers are not expected to meet
Harry laid wreaths and flowers while paying his respects.
Over tea and cake, William and Kate heard stories of the late Queen and shared family anecdotes.
William reflected on his grandmother’s passion for the WI. “I can’t quite believe it has been three years already,” he said. He added that the late Queen, a member for more than 80 years, had “loved” the organisation. Referring to Ascot, he said: “I think she would have loved a few more wins.
She was very upset that she couldn’t win a few more times. She used to have an iPad so that she could watch all the foals being born, so wherever she was in the country she could see. She was very dedicated.”
Among those William and Kate met was Sally Pellow, who showed them a photograph of her husband’s grandfather meeting the late Queen, Princess Anne and a young Prince Charles at Southampton docks in 1961.
Mrs Pellow, 64, also recalled how her daughter once served the Princess of Wales in a Reading shop and described bumping into Prince George in an interior design store about five years ago.
“I had popped in to pick up some wallpaper samples and Prince George had gone in with his granny, Carole Middleton” she said. “He was beautifully dressed and sitting at a desk eating bits of orange.”
Margot Gosney, 65, a retired professor of medicine at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, recalled meeting the Queen in 2006. “She had had an accident the week before and had a cut on her leg so she was laughing that she was in a hospital,” she said. Gosney, a trustee of the London Air Ambulance, told William of her work. “I miss it,” he replied, referring to his time as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglican Air Ambulance.
He said that there was “an insane” amount of money needed to keep the air ambulances flying and that he was “looking at plans” to bring services together.
Asked if his children were back at school, William replied: “Thankfully, yes.” When Nina Derrick asked: “Is Louis a bit of a handful?” he defended his youngest son, saying that Louis was “a very good boy.” Told that George seemed the sensible one while Louis was “a bit of a character”, William noted that there was “five years between them” and joked that although George knew how to behave in public, “behind closed doors it’s a it’s a completely different ball game”.
During the visit to the The Berkshire Federation of Women’s Institutes, which oversees 61 groups across the county, their Royal Highnesses met members, trustees and support staff from across Berkshire to hear about their work and the opportunities the WI provides for women to connect, learn and contribute to their local communities.
Several of the women present had previously met or interacted with the late Queen, and they shared stories of those encounters with the Prince, reflecting on the impact she had both on the organisation and on their lives.
As expected, the gathering was marked by the WI’s trademark warmth—complete with bunting, cakes and a rich supply of anecdotes celebrating community spirit and the enduring legacy of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
