Late Queen's love for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis laid bare with key act

Princess Kate gave a glimpse into the great affection the late Queen Elizabeth had for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis - and how she demonstrated it through one key act

Whenever Princess Kate speaks about the late Queen Elizabeth, it's clear how much admiration she had for the former monarch. Since it was announced that Kate and Prince William were engaged and that she would be officially joining the Royal Family, she has had nothing but high praise for the late Queen, and it seems that the feeling was pretty mutual.

Speaking in a documentary to mark the late Queen's 90th birthday back in 2016, Kate gave a glimpse into what the monarch was like behind closed doors when she was focussed on family life, rather than the duties that came with her role as head of state. The impression Kate gave was one of a thoughtful and generous grandmother and great-grandmother. She revealed that the late monarch used to make her affection for Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, nine abundantly clear through one key act.

At the time Kate made the comment, Prince Louis hadn't been born, but it's likely if Queen Elizabeth made this effort for Charlotte and George, that she would have done similarly as thoughtful things for all of her great-grandchildren. Kate explained that whenever they went to stay with the former monarch, she would ensure a special surprise awaited the children.

"She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows, I think, her love for her family," Kate explained, adding that the Queen took a major interest in Charlotte - who is noted by many to closely resemble the late Queen as a child - after her birth, and revealed a sweet nickname used by George for his great-grandmother.

"I think she's very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she's up to. George is only two and a half and calls her 'gan-gan'," Kate said.

Back in 2010 when Kate and William got engaged, she revealed in an interview to mark their occasion that the first time she had ever met the late Queen, William wasn't present. Their first meeting took place in 2008, when Peter Phillips - the son of Princess Anne - was marrying Autumn Kelly, but William was out of the country at the time. As his longtime girlfriend, Kate still attended the nuptials solo.

William explained of his now-wife's meeting with his grandmother, "She's very welcoming. She knew it was a big day and everything was going on with Peter and Autumn were there and things and she'd wanted to meet Kate for a while so it was very nice of her to come over and say hello."

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