Hoda Kotb says Prince Harry’s love for Queen Elizabeth II was ‘palpable’ during funeral

Hoda Kotb has shared her thoughts about Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship and revealed that his love for his late grandmother was “palpable”.

The 58-year-old television host recalled her interview with Harry last April while speaking to Page Six outside of Westminster Abbey on Monday, minutes before she went on the air for NBC’s coverage of the Queen’s funeral.

Kotb said that when the Duke of Sussex talked to her about the Queen, his love for her was “palpable”, before acknowledging how meaningful it was to speak about the duo on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

“It was the most moving parts of the interview,” Kotb explained. “And to imagine the next time that we would be talking about Harry and his grandmother was today is so poignant. A big chunk of the interview was about the Queen, which shows you where she was in his mind.”

She went on to share how Harry showed her “another side” of the Queen that was “mischievous”, which he “delighted in”.

“I was looking at old videos of them and he would always whisper something in her ear and she would always burst out laughing,” she continued.

The Today host also sent her condolences to the royal family, the UK, and anyone who understands the feelings of grief that come from losing a grandparent.

“My heart goes out to all of the royals today. We are seeing it’s a big moment for this country but they lost their grandmother, and anyone who’s lost their grandmother and has lost a grandmother for that long knows what it feels like,” Kotb added.

During their interview earlier this year, while in the Netherlands for the Invictus Games, Harry detailed how he and his wife Meghan Markle secretly took a trip to the UK to see his grandmother. He went on to tell Kotb about how it was “so nice” being with the Queen again.

“Being with her was great, it was just so nice to see her. She was on great form, she’s always got a great sense of humour,” the duke said at the time. “I was just making sure that she is protected and got the right people around her.”

To Page Six on Monday, Kotb’s co-host, Savannah Guthrie, also shared an emotional message about witnessing the Queen’s funeral.

“We are all very very privileged and honoured today to be here witnessing history,” she said. “I am struck by the outpouring of emotion by the British public, it transcends generation, it transcends everything.”

“I was struck at Buckingham Palace by the people laying flowers. It was so strangely quiet and respectful,” she added. “They loved her — which is not a word that we’re familiar with using for any leader! But love is the word that people most often use.”

Along with Harry and his wife, royals from all around the world attended the Queen’s funeral on 19 September. During the service, King Charles III and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, walked behind the late monarch’s casket, before being followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

At the sombre occasion, Harry sat in the second row, directly behind his father, prompting people on social media to question this seating arrangement, since the Duke is the son of the new King.