12 January 2024 , 23:09
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King Charles gave a heartbreaking three-word reply the moment he was told his mum had died, according to a new royal book.
The new monarch, 75, was out picking mushrooms in the grounds of the Birkhall estate on Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, when he was summoned to Balmoral. He got behind the wheel of a Land Rover, alongside Camilla and their team and raced to be at the late Queen's bedside - although it was too late.
Elizabeth's private secretary Sir Edward Young's first duty was to tell Charles before anyone else could, writes Robert Hardman in his new biography Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story. "There was no question of waiting for the car to pull up at Balmoral," writes Mr Hardman. A senior official told him: "Imagine if there had been some accident or a hold-up along the way. It was essential that the new King was told before anyone else."
Instead, he called the Balmoral switchboard which worked its way through a list of phone numbers, though the signal was patchy in rural Aberdeenshire, and staff would have had their phones on silent while attending to the members of the Firm. However, one at Charles' party felt their phone vibrating and recognised the number.
The Queen had written a letter to her son on her deathbed (Getty Images)The King was asked to pull over and told Sir Edward was on the phone. "The new monarch knew exactly what was coming next," writes Mr Hardman, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail.. "He had just turned off the B976 onto the back drive of the estate when, at the age of 73, he was addressed as ‘Your Majesty’ for the first time. No further explanation was needed."
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However, Charles replied softly: "We're nearly there." Camilla, now the Queen, and others in the car voiced their condolences. The King put the 4x4 back in gear and drove on. Minutes later, he was being greeted by his sister Anne, the Princess Royal, at the castle.
Later, Elizabeth II's footman took a locked red box of paperwork from next to her death bed, which was found to contain two sealed letters to Charles and son and Sir Edward. The contents of the 96-year-old's letters are unlikely to ever be made public but do highlight her devotion to her role and that she was well aware she was close to the end. The box also contained her final piece of paperwork and last royal order: her choice of candidates for the prestigious Order of Merit for "exceptionally meritorious service" across the Commonwealth.