King Charles was foraging for wild mushrooms at the time of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and did not tell his son Prince Harry that she had died before the news was published by the BBC.
A new book, Charles III: New King, New Court. Royal biographer Robert Hardman's inside story of the Queen's final hours says that although Charles knew his mother was dying, he misjudged how long she had left to live, which is why he decided to forage for mushrooms in the woods surrounding her home in Balmoral, Scotland, while her life ebbed away.
The same lack of extreme urgency characterized his contact with sons Prince William and Harry on September 8, 2022, Hardman says. Although he contacted his two sons and urged them to travel to Scotland, he assumed that the Queen had “days, not hours, to live.”
A book by royal writer Robert Jobson previously claimed that Charles went mushroom picking but was recalled to Balmoral and arrived at his mother's bedside in time to be present at her death.
However, according to the new timeline published by the Chron, which is publishing Hardman's book this weekend, Charles had gone to the nearby forest to “gather mushrooms and clear his head” and “received news that she had died while he was driving.” back to Balmoral when his most senior adviser took a call.”
The email states that Charles stopped to answer the call and that it was at this point that Charles “was addressed as 'Your Majesty' for the first time before calmly putting the car in gear and continuing to drive.”
The Daily Beast has previously reported how the queen's death took “her family … largely by surprise,” with a family friend saying, “Everyone knew intellectually that she could die at any moment, but on Wednesday no one expected her.” .” die on Thursday.”
Hardman reveals that Charles and Queen Camilla spent an hour with Queen Elizabeth before her death.
Hardman's book also confirms long-standing rumors that Angela Kelly, the Queen's dresser, was at her side in her final hours, taking turns reading with her daughter Princess Anne and “the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie, a long-serving vicar at nearby Crathie Kirk.” “ to her from the Bible.”
Kelly, the daughter of a dockworker who rose to become the Queen's most trusted confidante, was quickly excluded from the royal circle after the Queen's death by Charles, who did not share his mother's affection for her.
Queen Elizabeth waits in the drawing room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience inviting the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, United Kingdom, September 6, 2022.
Jane Barlow/Pool via Portal
The new book also confirms Prince Harry's claim in his book Spare, who said he learned of the Queen's death from a news alert on his phone as he entered Aberdeen Airport, rather than directly from his father, as he did said The palace insisted at the time. Harry landed at 6:47 p.m., 17 minutes after the official announcement.
Hardman writes: “The king repeatedly tried to call his younger son to give him the news in person, but Harry was already in the air and could not get through.”
The suspicions of those who believe that Harry did not receive the information as timely as he could have will remain, considering that the Queen's time of death was officially given as 3.10pm and Prime Minister Liz Truss announced the news at 4.30pm and that Harry's privately chartered plane did not take off until 5:35 p.m
Charles and Harry's offices were contacted by The Daily Beast for comment on this matter. A source previously told The Daily Beast that the queen's actual time of death was 2:37 p.m. This may not contradict the time recorded on the death certificate, as the official time of death is determined when a medical certificate is drawn up.
The email says the new book “provides unrivaled access to the royal family, their close friends, past and present staff, top politicians and previously unseen documents in the royal archives.”
An example of such papers is a memo from Sir Edward Young, Queen Elizabeth's private secretary, who was at Balmoral at the time of her death, in which he said of her death: “Very peaceful. While sleeping. Slipped away. High age. She wouldn't have known anything. No pain.”
The book also claims that she left two sealed letters in a locked box next to her bed, one addressed to Charles and the other to Young.