William: Balmoral rainbows that said the Queen was still looking down on us
PRINCE William and Kate told yesterday how the Queen was looking down on the Royal Family after five rainbows adorned the skies above Balmoral.
William said the series of rainbows in the days after the monarch’s death had left the family astonished, saying: ‘You hardly ever see rainbows up there, but there were five.’
Smiling at him, Kate said: ‘Her Majesty was looking down on us.’
And it was not just the Balmoral skies that were set ablaze with colour. Rainbows were also seen over Buckingham Palace, Westminster and Windsor Castle.
The Prince and Princess of Wales spoke with remarkable candour about their mourning as they met volunteers and workers in Windsor who had helped on the day of her funeral.
They revealed the comfort they had drawn from the outpouring of support and affection as Britain joined the Royal Family in their grief.
William told how he found himself ‘choked up’ by some of the tributes left for his grandmother, including touching messages and pictures of Paddington Bear. The father of three said: ‘Seeing the flowers was really moving. We did have a good look.
‘We tried to read as much as we could [of the messages] but some were like essays, it was incredible. The children’s ones were very special to me. It’s the things you don’t expect that get you. Paddington got me quite choked up.’
He went on: ‘It is always very comforting that so many people care. It makes it a lot better.
‘There are certain moments that catch you out. You are prepared for all but certain moments catch you out.’
William and Kate had taken time to read messages and view the sea of flowers left at Windsor and at Sandringham. Kate
said they revealed the extraordinary relationship between the monarch and her people.
She said: ‘Reading some of the messages, the Queen had a personal relationship with every one of these people. The messages that were left show the Queen had a special meaning to everybody.’
It was the couple’s first engagement since the funeral, as they met unsung heroes who helped behind the scenes, including St John Ambulance volunteers, council workers, stewards and Crown Estate staff who managed the floral tributes left by the public. Kate, 40, who wore a tailored black dress with gold buttons, said she had been amazed by the number of well-wishers.
William, also 40, remarked on how many of the tributes had featured Paddington Bear and the Queen’s beloved corgis, following a sketch filmed with the Queen and Paddington to mark her Platinum Jubilee in June.
He joked that there was now ‘a bit of competition’ for whether the dogs or the bear were now more closely associated with the Queen, although his comments suggested he might side with Team Corgi.
The couple gave a moving insight into the Royal Family’s response to the Queen’s death, including cherished memories of conversations with the monarch.
Kate recalled how ‘the heavens opened’ on the day of the Queen’s death, as mourners gathered outside Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and at Windsor Castle.
Earlier, a double rainbow had appeared in the skies above Buckingham Palace, shortly before the Queen’s death was announced.
William recalled how the Queen had remarked she had never experienced rain at the Cenotaph during commemorations at the war memorial in Whitehall.
He said: ‘We were saying the other day, the Queen said she had never been rained on at the Cenotaph in 70 years. So we will see what happens this year.’
The Royal Family’s mourning continues until Monday.