Prince Harry Had ‘No Idea’ the Queen Was on Her Deathbed — Until An 'Unknown' Number Called: Book
Prince Harry was not made privy to his grandmother late Queen Elizabeth’s final moments if not for his father, a book has revealed. The Queen passed away aged 96 at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, while surrounded by close royals, excluding only the Sussexes. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s unofficial biographer and author Omid Scobie claimed in Endgame that the royal couple were unaware of the Queen’s critical condition and were kept in the dark by Buckingham Palace, per the Irish Star.
Prince Harry was in London when he learned the Queen was under medical supervision. He says his family got on a plane without him. By the time Harry reached Balmoral Castle on his own, the Queen had died. https://t.co/0IpSq6nOZj pic.twitter.com/HvBYG8bWoR
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 9, 2023
"The Sussexes had no idea that Buckingham Palace was already planning for the Queen's final hours and the first days of the monarchy's new era - until the duke's phone started ringing,” Scobie wrote in the NY Times best-selling book, published in August 2023. He described that it was an 'unknown number' that Prince Harry, 40, usually ignored on average days. But the book stated Markle, 43, had urged the royal to answer the call.
King Charles had called to inform Prince Harry about the concerning situation. He said the British Royal family was going to Balmoral Castle to join Princess Anne and bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth, who reigned the U.K. for 70 years. Prince Harry was asked to hurry to Scotland to meet his grandmother before her death. Unfortunately, Harry had just landed in Aberdeen when the official announcement of her death was made at 6.30 p.m.
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, the Duke explained the moment when the Queen’s death dawned on him. "When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: 'Call me when you get this.'" The father of two did not wait for a call and checked out the BBC website for an update. “My grandmother had died. My father was King,” he dramatically wrote.
Additionally, Prince Harry was frustrated over his father’s instruction to refrain from bringing Markle along with him. King Charles reportedly suggested that her presence was senseless at the royal household’s critical hour. Hence, Prince Harry revealed in his memoir that his regretful father stammered while indicating that he did not want to fill up the Queen’s final moments with people.
When Prince Philip died,the Queen made sure Prince Harry was informed before it was announced. When the Palace couldn't reach him, they called the UK embassy in NY who called the sheriff's office in SB to wake him up at 3am.
— Alexis is sowing discord in the West (@ArchewellBaby) April 6, 2023
When the Queen died. Harry found out from the BBC. pic.twitter.com/hoWbhBXfrJ
The incident took place after Prince Harry and Markle stepped down from their royal duties in January 2020 with the former even parting ways with his revered military titles. It is reported that Buckingham Palace restricted them from building their royal brand, SussexRoyal, per BBC. The royal remains the fifth prince in line to the throne, preceded by his brother Prince William.
The royal couple, who married in 2018, have retained their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles but moved to California. They were formally asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage in Windsor estate in June 2023, leaving them with no official UK residence from there on. However, the Prince's US immigration has also been riddled with controversies as The Heritage Foundation questioned his legal status in light of former drug usage rumors. Prince Harry and Markle share two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
