The Duke of Sussex was only informed that the Queen had died five minutes before Buckingham Palace released the official announcement, it's been reported. Prince Harry received the fateful call from his father King Charles when he was in a plane flying towards Aberdeen.
A royal source insisted that the Duke had not been treated differently from any other member of his family. The same source added that the King had not been in regular contact with anyone during what had been a very stressful time.
"Everybody was trying to get where they needed to be," the unnamed contact told The Telegraph. "That was the focus. And the King was adamant that the official statement must not be released until all members of the family had been informed. That was a father talking because he cares."
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It's understood the downturn in the Queen’s health had been relayed to members of the family the previous evening, although it was not then considered urgent enough for them to drop everything and race to Balmoral. By the next day, however the seriousness of her condition saw Charles take an emergency helicopter ride from Dumfries House to where his mother was staying several hours away. He then called both of his sons, advising them to make travel plans to get to Scotland. Prince Harry reportedly received his call some time after his brother.
So while Prince William, along with the the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, were flying from RAF Northolt to Aberdeen - landing at 3.50pm - Harry didn't managed to take off until an hour and a half later. He eventually departed Luton Airport at 5.35pm – an hour after Prime Minister Liz Truss apparently learned of the Queen’s passing.
According to The Telegraph, the reason Harry was not told earlier remains unclear. Furthermore, the release of the public statement was said to have been delayed until the King finally managed to reach him whilst in midair. The public statement was then put out at 6.30pm, with the Duke’s plane touching down at 6.46pm. He was pictured arriving at Balmoral just over an hour later.
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