After Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, Princess Kate Middleton and Prince William made it a priority to maintain a sense of normalcy for their children.

Though Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were still quite young at the time of their great-grandmother’s death in September 2022, they were old enough to understand that the nation was in mourning. Following her passing, King Charles took the throne.

George and Charlotte attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral and were commended for their composed and respectful behavior throughout the ceremony. Observers even noticed a touching moment when Charlotte quietly reminded George to bow his head as the Queen’s coffin passed by during the procession.

Despite being in the official mourning period, Kate and William resumed their royal duties just days after the Queen’s death. One of their first public appearances was at Windsor Guildhall, where they met with volunteers and staff who had helped manage the large crowds that came to Windsor to pay tribute during the funeral. In line with royal mourning protocol, the Prince and Princess of Wales dressed in black out of respect.

The official mourning period began on the day of the Queen’s death and lasted until seven days after her funeral.

Queen Elizabeth’s cause of death was listed as old age, though former Prime Minister Boris Johnson later claimed in his memoir that she had been diagnosed with bone cancer prior to her passing. Buckingham Palace has not confirmed or commented on that claim.

During their visit to Windsor Guildhall, Kate shared a moment that highlighted her children’s curiosity about the events unfolding around them.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s reaction to the Queen’s death

While speaking with volunteers about the extensive preparations for the funeral, Kate mentioned how her children had noticed everything during their school commutes.

“When we’ve been doing the school run, we’ve been able to see the preparations going up. We’ve seen it growing,” Kate said.
“It must have been quite a mission. Having gone backward and forwards last week, we could see it slowly growing. It seemed so well organised.”

Kate also noted that George and Charlotte had sharp eyes and quickly noticed drones flying overhead—part of the tight security measures in place.

The children had naturally been curious, asking their parents questions about what they were seeing.

How George and Charlotte handled the Queen’s passing

Throughout the national mourning period, George, Charlotte, and Louis continued attending school. William and Kate explained that they made this decision to preserve a sense of “continuity” and “normality” for their children.

A well-wisher who spoke with the couple said, “He spoke about George, Charlotte, and Louis, saying that they were trying to keep some sense of continuity for them at school and keep things as normal as possible.”

Kate later explained that George had a clearer understanding of the loss, while Charlotte and Louis didn’t fully grasp it in the same way.

Both George and Charlotte were present for the Queen’s funeral on September 19, walking behind the coffin during the service at Westminster Abbey. They also attended the private committal service later that day in Windsor.