Charles discovered Queen was dying in 'frantic phone call followed by silence'
16 September 2022, 14:01 | Updated: 16 September 2022, 14:20
King Charles was only told about the Queen's deteriorating health just hours before she died, according to a fresh claim.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The new monarch had only heard the news around the same time her condition was made public.
It triggered a frantic scramble among other royals who made their way to Balmoral to try and be with her in her final hours.
Newsweek's royal editor Jack Royston said: "Charles and Camilla were in Dumfries House.
"Camilla was actually about to record an interview with Jenna Bush Hager [George W Bush’s daughter, an author], who said she heard footsteps running in the hallway."
He told the Royal Beat: "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 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."
Queen’s lying in state queue paused for at least six hours as capacity reached
The public's first notion that something was wrong was during Liz Truss's first Prime Minister's Questions, when Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, passed on a note in the Commons.
Charles raced to Balmoral from Dumfries House to be with her, while Princess Anne was already there having been on engagements nearby, it is reported.
Other senior royals raced to Scotland, with Prince William driving Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex onto the Balmoral estate just after 5pm.
It is believed they were too late to see her. Her death was official announced at 6.30pm.
The Queen is lying-in-state in Parliament as the public files through to see her, creating a miles-long queue snaking around the south bank of the Thames.
Her funeral, featuring some 500 foreign dignitaries, will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
