Whoa… We knew Prince Harry didn’t make it to Scotland in time to say goodbye to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, but did he really find out about her death just mere moments before the rest of the world?!
According to The Telegraph on Sunday, the 38-year-old was the “last to know” about the matriarch’s passing — and he only had five minutes to process the news before the entire world was informed, too!
As mentioned, Harry didn’t make it to Balmoral Castle in time. While he was in London for a charity event with his wife, Meghan Markle, he changed his plans to get to Queen Elizabeth’s side when he learned the 96-year-old’s health was declining rapidly. He traveled alone, ultimately landing after his grandmother had already passed away. It seemed odd he didn’t travel with the rest of his family, but a source claimed the feud had nothing to do with it. Given this latest report, we’re not so sure anymore!!
Per The Telegraph, Harry was still mid-flight when his father King Charles III called him and told him the Queen had passed away. Five minutes later, Buckingham Palace released the official statement mourning Her Majesty. But the site also claimed Prince William was informed of the Queen’s sickness sometime before his brother, perhaps allowing him to arrive in time to say goodbye. Similarly, Prime Minister Liz Truss supposedly knew about the Queen’s death an hour before Harry. Whaaat?
According to the report, Harry took off at around 5:35 p.m. local time after his aides had a challenging time booking him a flight with such short notice. He was then informed of the Queen’s death at 6:25 p.m., just ahead of the official announcement. Meanwhile, the prime minister reportedly knew an hour before the public was informed, AKA as Harry was getting on the flight. She even tweeted on Thursday morning to warn the public the palace would be revealing very sad news later in the day! So, it sounds like she knew a lot more than the Cali resident!
So, why was Harry left out of the loop for so long?! While this new report seems to prove the royal rift is alive and well, one source told the outlet it was actually out of respect that the King contact his son when he did, saying:
“Everybody was trying to get where they needed to be. 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.”
Obviously, it’s better to hear this kind of news from a family member than from the press, but was it really necessary to wait so long to tell the Archewell founder when someone clearly unrelatd knew well before him?! Did Meghan’s husband just fall through the cracks or were the other royals purposefully withholding information?
In a rare move from the palace, a spokesperson for King Charles spoke to DailyMail.com on Sunday (hours before the Queen’s funeral) to debunk the rumors, declaring the reason Harry was told so last-minute was because it was hard to get in touch with him while he was on the plane, adding:
“The public was only informed after every family member had been informed.”
And yet, they didn’t go into the details of timing. Seems like a sticky situation — and so much for those olive branches. Reactions, Perezcious readers?! Was it rude to tell Harry so quickly before the public or does this come with the territory? Let us know your thoughts (below)!
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