Princess Diana tried to embrace Queen Elizabeth II in search of love.
The former Princess of Wales stepped forward to show affection towards her mother-in-law back in the day and was snubbed by Her Majesty's emotionless response.
The story has now resurfaced in Prince Harry’s memoir.
He writes in ‘Spare’: “There was a famous story about Mummy trying to hug Granny. It was actually more a lunge than a hug, if eyewitnesses can be believed; Granny swerved to avoid contact, and the whole thing ended very awkwardly, with averted eyes and murmured apologies. Every time I tried to picture the scene it reminded me of a thwarted pickpocketing, or a rugby tap-tackle. “
Adding further of the Royal Family practice of distance, Harry continued: “I wondered, watching Granny rock out to Brian May, if Pa ever tried? Probably not. When he was five or six, Granny left him, went off on a royal tour lasting several months, and when she returned, she offered him a firm handshake. Which may have been more than he ever got from Grandpa. Indeed, Grandpa was so aloof, so busy traveling and working, he barely saw Pa for the first several years of his life.”