Queen Elizabeth is "just like any other mother".
Queen Elizabeth
The 89-year-old monarch has four children - Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - with her husband Prince Philip and although she is not demonstratively affectionate, her cousin Margaret Rhodes says the Queen is a very proud and loving mother.
She told the Daily Mail: "She always talks quite a lot about her children and worries about them like any other mother.
"They are not arms out and cuddly people, really. They are not lovey-dovey. But they mind a lot about each other, even if they don't show it. The thing is, they've been brought up not to show publicly what they're feeling."
And a royal source reflected on how down-to-earth the Queen was with her children when they were young, getting them to make their own beds while she cooked their dinner.
The insider said: "The Queen is a good mother, but the life she has had to lead has meant she couldn't be quite the mother she wanted to be.
"I remember when Charles and Anne were quite small and the Queen would take them away to Balmoral and she would get them to make their own beds and help with the washing up. She cooked the supper - they loved bangers and hot spuds.
'These were magical times, full of fun and love. She was much closer to the children than Charles gives her credit for. True, she didn't run to the children and sweep them up as Princess Diana did, but they were different times."
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