The "Unsympathetic Response" Prince Harry Received From a Royal Aide About Putting Queen Elizabeth in an "Awkward Position" That Might "Belittle" Her
"If you want to ask The Queen, ask The Queen."
Prince Harry has been outspoken about his adoration of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. According to one royal author, the Duke of Sussex's deference to the late Queen meant that he sometimes feared requesting too much of the beloved monarch.
According to royal biographer Valentine Low, Prince Harry wanted to ask Queen Elizabeth to film a video to promote the 2016 Invictus Games, via the Daily Mail. However, as Low wrote in his book Courtiers, Prince Harry reportedly said of the idea, "I don't want to put her in an awkward position."
The Duke of Sussex reportedly said of the project, "I don't know if it is going to belittle anything she does." As a result, Harry allegedly decided to contact the former Queen's private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, for advice. But according to Low, the prince received a "rather unsympathetic response," with Geidt reportedly saying, "If you want to ask The Queen, ask The Queen."
Luckily, Prince Harry's alleged fears were completely unfounded, and Queen Elizabeth was reportedly "more than willing to help."
Still, when it came to filming the Invictus Games video alongside his grandmother, Harry "was nervous how it was going to go," a source told Low.
The video—which later went viral—was filmed in just two takes, and saw Harry and The Queen receive a phone call from the Obamas. After filming was complete, Elizabeth reportedly said, "Oh this is rather fun...People should ask me to do these more often."
A source told Low that Queen Elizabeth had no hesitation in agreeing to take part in the video, as she "wanted to support her grandson." As the source told Low, "She wanted to support the cause, and was happy for having some fun in the process." Obviously, the final product speaks for itself.
