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Queen Elizabeth II's conversation with a former world leader following the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first child has become the focus of a new viral video after resurfacing on TikTok.
At the time of her death, aged 96, in September 2022, Elizabeth was the head and matriarch of an expansive royal family, including her four children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. A 12th great-grandchild was added to the family group in the months after the monarch's death.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have two children, Prince Archie (born in 2019) and Princess Lilibet (born in 2021). Archie was born in London while his parents were still working members of the royal family, while Lilibet—who was named in honor of the queen—was born in California after Harry and Meghan's dramatic split from the monarchy a year earlier.
One day after Archie's birth, the queen attended a reception at Windsor Castle for members of the Order of Merit, where she was caught on camera discussing the new family addition with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
In footage uploaded to video sharing digital platform TikTok by user royalvideoshistory on September 18, Chrétien is seen commenting to Elizabeth: "Your majesty, congratulations on another great-grandchild. How many of them have you got now?"
To which, the queen responded that Archie was her "eighth," whereupon Chrétien noted that: "You beat me by one!"
Following Prince Harry and Meghan's move to the U.S. in 2020, Queen Elizabeth only saw Archie and Lilibet once, during the celebratory events held in Britain for her Platinum Jubilee just three months before her death.
Harry recalled the meeting in his memoir, Spare, which was published in January 2023.
Writing in an epilogue about the period following his grandmother's death, Harry wrote: "For days and days we couldn't stop hugging the children, couldn't let them out of our sight—though I also couldn't stop picturing them with Granny.
"The final visit. Archie making deep, chivalrous bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch's shins. Sweetest children, Granny said, sounding bemused. She'd expected them to be a bit more...American, I think? Meaning, in her mind, more rambunctious."
Elizabeth's family was by no means as large as the group of relations overseen by her own great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
In total, Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children, who produced 42 grandchildren, who in turn produced 87 great-grandchildren. As a result, through dynastic marriages, the British royal family now have relations in all the major monarchies of Europe, as well as hundreds of untitled relatives who are totally unknown to the public.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more