The Queen prepared young Prince William to be king with weekly afternoon tea training sessions

The Queen helped to prepare Prince William for his role in the Royal Family with one-to-one mentoring sessions over tea and lunch when he was a teenage boy at Eton.

• The Queen and Prince William have forged a close bond after years of mentoring.
• Her Majesty is believed to have given her grandson royal training sessions over tea and cake to prepare him for his royal duties and his future as king.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after Prince Philip’s adorable tradition on the Queen’s birthday has been revealed as she faces 95th without him (opens in new tab)

The Royal Family has been rallying around the Queen following the death of Prince Philip earlier this month. The Queen faced her 95th birthday without The Duke of Edinburgh yesterday but The Firm is thought to have formed a rota so that she would not be left alone during the tough period. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are among the members of the family supporting and visiting The Queen in her period of mourning.

The Queen and her grandson Prince William have a very strong bond as she has been mentoring him since he was a child - with training sessions with tea and lunches, to prepare him for his role as king, starting when he was young. 

Prince William is second in the line of succession (opens in new tab) and has been advised on his duties by the Queen for years.

OK! reports that when William was boarding at Eton College as a teenager, he would disappear for hours every Sunday to visit his grandmother at Windsor Castle.

The Queen would invite him for lunch and tea with her, during which they would have one-to-one mentoring talks about his future in the monarchy. 

Katie Nicholl, author of Kate: The Future Queen said, "The Queen plays a very special dual role in William’s life. She is his sovereign, but also a very loving grandmother who wants to prepare him for the future."

William would also be given the opportunity to open up to his grandmother about the struggles he was facing as a school boy who would one day be king.

The sessions were inspired by the Queen's own experiences with her father before she grew up to take the throne.

Katie said, "He would have one-on-one time with his grandmother to talk about whatever was on his mind. She was there for him to unload on – but those sessions were also an opportunity for her to mentor and teach him, as her grandfather, George V, did with her.

"They became incredibly close and as his respect for her grew he began to embrace his destiny."