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Royal Mischief: How William and Harry Pranked their Grandmother the Queen

Alexandra Dantzer
Photo by E. J. Hersom CC by 2.0
Photo by E. J. Hersom CC by 2.0

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch, certainly doesn’t strike us as a someone you could or should mess around with. But there is always an exception to the rule.

Her grandsons Harry and William treat her with deference and uphold high standards when regarding the Queen. They do so to such an extent that they even preserve the precedent that the Queen has established for her marriage with Prince Philip, and that is not holding hands or displaying any form of affection while in public.

Queen Elizabeth II in March 2015
Queen Elizabeth II in March 2015

Harry has recently admitted that even though his grandma, the Queen can cause him to panic at times. According to Bustle, he told a group of Caribbean students staying in London, “You guys have spent way more time in Buckingham Palace than I ever have — and you’ve only been here two weeks. Have you bumped into the Queen yet? If you suddenly bump into her in the corridor, don’t panic. I know you will. We all do!”

Harry and Meghan going to church in 2017. Photo by Mark Jones CC BY 2.0
Harry and Meghan going to church in 2017. Photo by Mark Jones CC BY 2.0

However, the relationship between the Queen and her grandchildren is much more than one of paying respect and dignified behavior. The Inquisitr reports Williams’ words, “I still think she’s just my grandmother, really. I’m probably a bit of a cheeky grandson, like my brother as well. We both take the mickey a bit too much. But I remember always having a healthy respect for my grandmother.” He added, “Behind closed doors, she’s our grandmother, it’s as simple as that.”

Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and grandchildren. Photo by Archives New Zealand CC BY 2.0
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and grandchildren. Photo by Archives New Zealand CC BY 2.0

Elizabeth II, then again, has a soft spot for her grandchildren. She has always protected them to the best of her ability. In the BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days William recounts the length to which the Queen would go to safeguard her grandchildren after their mother’s death 21 years ago.

She cared so much about them that the brothers were barely aware of what was happening, despite the stir the tragedy has caused. She kept all the newspapers outside of the house and never allowed for her grandchildren to be affected by the drama that followed the tragedy.

Queen Elizabeth II in 1959. Photo by BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives CC BY 2.0
Queen Elizabeth II in 1959. Photo by BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives CC BY 2.0

Their bond is so strong she did not express any sort of disapproval when Harry and William decided to be the cheeky grandsons and pranked her big time. When, as all grannies, she needed some technology-related help she asked her grandsons to set up her phone message.

The boys found this as the exciting opportunity to pull a prank on the Queen. Jointly they came to a brilliant idea to give her phone message a humorous twist. Digital Journal cites the message in its original form, “Hey, Wassup! This is Liz. Sorry, I’m away from the throne. For a hotline to Philip, press one. For Charles, press two. And for the corgis, press three.”

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle.

Initially the Queen did not find the joke very amusing, however, she never got mad. Before long she was laughing and wondering how many people had heard her message. To make matters even funnier the callers most certainly were diplomats calling with serious matters at hand.

Read another story from us: That Time the Future Queen Elizabeth II Slipped Incognito into the London Crowds

Elizabeth II obviously allows Harry and William to get away with pulling some funny stunts on her, so their relationship is not much different than any other grandma-grandchildren one.

Alexandra Dantzer

Alexandra Dantzer is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News