The King was informed of his mother's death at the wheel of his car after dropping her off at Balmoral to pick mushrooms, a new book reveals.
Charles paused while his senior aide took the call, before being addressed as “Your Majesty” for the first time.
At the time, he was returning to the royal family's Scottish residence after foraging for mushrooms in a bid to “clear his head,” after spending a final hour at the late Queen's bedside.
King Charles III was first called “Your Majesty” by his private attendant.
(PA Wire)
Details of Elizabeth II's final moments have been revealed for the first time in a new biography of the king written by royal author Robert Hardman.
In a note written by his private secretary, his death is recorded as “very peaceful,” who stated that “he would not have known anything.”
The note was written by Sir Edward Young on September 8, 2022 and has been published by the daily mail.
The document, which is now in the Royal Archives, is part of a new biography of the King – Charles III: new king. New court. The inside story and reveals that the king and Queen Camilla had spent time with the late monarch in private before her death.
His children and grandchildren rushed to Balmoral to say goodbye.
(PENNSYLVANIA)
Princess Anne and the late queen's chief dresser, Angela Kelly, alternated at her bedside, along with the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie, a minister from nearby Crathie Kirk.
The biography adds that Charles had called his two sons and told them to travel to Scotland as soon as possible to say goodbye.
While the Queen had suffered “episodic mobility problems” in the months before her death, her eldest son had been caught off guard by her sudden deterioration and had traveled to Balmoral by helicopter while reading her notes on “London Bridge.” about the trip.
“London Bridge” was the key word for the logistical plans put in place for the Queen's death, which included ordering people to be informed immediately afterwards.
Then, when Charles called William through the palace switchboard to give him the news, he told the operator “it's me”, realizing he could not yet reveal to staff that he was king, before informing his heir.
Prince Harry pictured arriving at Balmoral after the Queen's death
(AP)
The King tried to contact his youngest son to tell him personally, but Harry was already in the air and couldn't get through, the book reveals. The Duke of Sussex discovered that his grandmother had died through a last-minute alert upon arriving by plane.
Hardman also claims that the Prince of Wales did not respond to text messages from his younger brother asking how he was traveling to Balmoral.
Neither the Princess of Wales nor the Duchess of Sussex traveled with their husbands, while the Duke of York and the Duke of Edinburgh made the trip to Scotland.
The biography also reveals how the late Queen diligently made her way through her final red box, even when confined to her bedroom, leaving one sealed letter for her son and a second for Sir Edward.
The box contained his choice of candidates for the Order of Merit for “exceptionally meritorious service” throughout the Commonwealth.
