Prince Harry, Prince William, Peter Phillips: Who Is The Queen's Favorite Grandchild?

Queen Elizabeth loves all her grandchildren dearly — Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. While most grandparents would try not to play favorites, some royal family observers believe that Her Majesty has a more relaxed, grandmotherly relationship to a couple of them.

Prince William

Most people probably assume that the Queen’s favorite grandchild has to be Prince William, being the second in line to the throne and a future king. While the two has a tight bond, Melanie Bromley, E! News royal correspondent, described their relationship as “half family and half business.”

Peter Phillips

Some royal family fans believe that Queen Elizabeth’s favorite grandchild is Peter Phillips. He is the oldest of her grandchildren and the son of Her Majesty’s only daughter, Princess Anne.

Peter Philip was not born with a title due to a royal tradition. However, the Queen showed that she has a soft spot for him and decided to break that rule by offering him a courtesy title, which his parents later declined.

Prince Harry

Other royal family fans are convinced that it’s not Peter Phillips but the late Princess Diana’s second child, Prince Harry, who is the Queen’s favorite. With Harry, the monarch is said to be able to let her guard down and just act grandmotherly to him.

He was even able to convince his grandmother to appear in a James Bond stunt. “A lot of people don’t realise, he talked the Queen into doing that James Bond stunt [at the Olympics in 2012],” a commentator said in “Harry At 30,” an ITV 2014 documentary.

“Harry said ‘c’mon granny, you gotta take it to the limit, you gotta do it,’” narrated Historian Kate Williams. “You are only getting these Olympics once.”

In the Queen’s annual Christmas message in 2017, many noticed that there was a photo of Prince Harry and his then-fiancee Meghan Markle in the background, along with photos of Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. There were no photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton or photos of her other grandchildren.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry are often seen joking at each other in public. “His relationship with the Queen is a lot more fun and grandson-to-grandmother,” Melanie Bromley said. She added that while both of Princess Diana’s sons are very close to their grandmother, the latter has been “given a lot more freedom.”

Of course, it does not mean that Her Majesty loves Prince William lesser than Harry — or Peter. It’s just that the monarch mentored William, preparing him for his role as the future king.

For that reason, their relationship is a bit more serious and formal. “William is in a very different role (to Harry) ... he was born for this job,” Bromley explained.