“It has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters,” the princesses wrote.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have penned a moving letter to their late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. “We’ve not been able to put much into words since you left us all,” they write. “There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie.”
The two princesses are set to join their first cousins, the Queen’s grandchildren, in standing vigil around the Queen’s coffin this evening in London. Beatrice and Eugenie have been seen mourning alongside their relatives for the past week; last night, they were at the Palace of Westminster to observe their father, Prince Andrew, and his siblings stand vigil.
They were also at Balmoral shortly after the Queen’s death, and the sisters were pictured holding hands as they took in tributes to their grandmother.
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“We, like many, thought you’d be here forever,” they write in their thank you note to their grandmother. Below, read their full tribute to Queen Elizabeth:
Read Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice’s tribute to Queen Elizabeth:
Our dearest Grannie,
We’ve not been able to put much into words since you left us all.
There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie.
We, like many, thought you’d be here forever. And we all miss you terribly.
You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever.
For now dear Grannie, all we want to say is thank you. Thank you for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for marching soldiers, for our teas, for comfort, for joy. You, being you, will never know the impact you have had on our family and so many people around the world.
The world mourns you and the tributes would really make you smile. They are all too true of the remarkable leader you are.
We’re so happy you’re back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear Grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we’re so very proud of you.
We know that dear Uncle Charles, the King, will continue to lead in your example as he too has dedicated his life to service.
God save the King.
With our love,
Beatrice and Eugenie