Prince William shares he got closer to his grandparents when they were older

Prince William's relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip got "warmer and warmer" as they got older.

The 43-year-old prince admitted he wasn't particularly close to his grandparents when he was a child because things in the royal family were so "formal" but as the couple - who died in September 2023 and April 2021 aged 96 and 99 respectively - "relaxed", their bond improved.

Speaking to Eugene Levy on his Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler, William said: "I had a good relationship. My grandparents were of a different generation.

"I think when we were younger, it was harder to have that very close relationship because it was quite formal, but as they got older and I got older, it got warmer and warmer, and I definitely think my relationship was best with my grandparents when they were more in their eighties. When they’d sort of relaxed a little bit.”

The Prince of Wales "misses" his grandparents and feels particularly close to the late queen at Windsor Castle, her preferred royal residence.

William - who lives in Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of the Windsor estate with wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their three children - said: "I do miss my grandmother and my grandfather.

"It’s been quite a bit of change, so you do sort of think about them not being here anymore and particularly being in Windsor, for me Windsor is her. She loved it here; she spent most of her time here."

William recalled enjoying races with his cousins at St. George's Hall inside the castle - and joked his own kids are "lucky" because the furnishings have been updated over the years.

He said: “My cousins and I, and the family, would chase each other up and down here and do silly games.

"And I remember these carpets weren’t here, and there were a couple of spots where you used to have to watch out because you’d get massive splinters because the old floor was old wood — an old oak floor.

"It was a really dark wooden oak floor. So, when you went running off, you’d end up coming away and you’d have an enormous splinter. And everyone would be like 'Stop! Stop!' And someone had s splinter sort of that big in their foot.

"So now, it’s a lot easier. My children don’t realise how lucky they are, they’ve got a big old carpet they can run down and there’s no splinters."