King Charles III discovered his mother Queen Elizabeth II was dying after he received an unexpected phone call from Balmoral Castle. The phone came just minutes before Queen Consort Camila was getting ready to be interviewed by the daughter of former US President George Bush before the mood changed suddenly.
Bush’s daughter was in the adjoining room and was about to start her interview. However, the interview didn’t happen as minutes after taking the call, Camila and Charles, the then Prince of Wales boarded a helicopter flying towards Balmoral. The phone call came around the same time the world was told about the Queen’s deteriorating health.
Surprise Phone Call
The Queen was not keeping well, which was made public a few days back after she withdrew from a series of events and functions. Her health worsened after she retired to Balmoral Castle. However, no one expected that she would be gone so soon.
Charles took the “surprise” call from Balmoral at 12:30 pm on September 8, around the same time the world was told of the Queen’s ailing health. Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent Jack Royston discussed what happened last Thursday on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat.
“Charles and Camilla were in Dumfries House. Camilla was actually about to record a TV interview with Jenna Bush Hager, who said she heard footsteps running in the hallway,” he said, as reported by the Mirror.
“Charles took a call, everything was silent, and they were asked to be silent. Then the next thing she knew, Charles and Camilla were in a helicopter. And that was at 12.30 [on Thursday 8th September], so that was around exactly the same time that we were told.
“So they didn’t wait, they didn’t give Charles an hour or two hours [before telling the public].”
Everything Happened in No Time
No one expected that the Queen’s death was so near. That was the reason, Palace officials didn’t give King Charles III the time to take his own decision and announced about Queen’s ailing health almost around the same time they made the news public.
In fact, none of the royals including the Queen’s other children knew that she was dying. It was barely six hours from the time of the phone call received by Charles that the Queen died.
The Duchess of Cornwall, who is now Queen Consort at Elizabeth II’s request, was driven across to join Charles after he hurried across to Balmoral to be at his mother’s bedside. Princess Anne, daughter of the Queen, is said to have been there already because her mother had been attending engagements nearby.
The Countess of Wessex, whom the Queen cherishes and treats like a second daughter, and the Queen’s other children, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, were quickly picked up by a jet and brought to Aberdeen.
They were joined by her grandson Prince William. Prince William. His wife Kate Middleton stayed behind to take care of their three kids, who had just begun a new school.
At 5:06 p.m., William, driving a Range Rover, ushered the somber family group through the gates of Balmoral. They arrived in Scotland at 4 p.m. Although the moment of death has not been confirmed by Buckingham Palace, it is assumed that they were unable to see their beloved matriarch before she died.
By chance, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are regrettably no longer close to most of their relatives, were traveling to Britain from their home in California and were scheduled to participate in a charity event in London before returning to their kids.
The couple’s spokesperson initially said that both Harry and Meghan Markle would be flying to Balmoral. However, Meghan finally stayed back and Harry reached to see his grandmother.
The Queen’s death was finally announced at 6.32 pm in a short black-edged statement from Buckingham Palace which read simply: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
However, except for King Charles II and His sister Princess Anne, nobody could say their final goodbye to the Queen.
