Exact moment Charles found out the Queen was dead and he had become King

23 January 2024 , 13:14

1173     0

The King was driving along a Scottish country road when he learned the devastatinig news of his mother's death (Image: Getty Images)

King Charles discovered he had become the new British monarch while at the wheel of his car just hours after he'd visited his dying mother, a new biography has claimed.

Royal commentator Robert Hardman recently released his new book, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, which details the 75-year-old's ascension to the throne and the immediate aftermath of the death of his beloved mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

In Chapter Three, London Bridge, Mr Hardman reveals never-before-heard details about when King Charles discovered that he had risen to the throne. He had earlier visited the Queen at Balmoral Castle, but was snaking along an unmarked Scottish country road when his title suddenly changed.

Mr Hardman writes: "King Charles III succeeded to the throne at the wheel. To be more precise, he had just turned off the B976 onto the back drive of the Balmoral estate and was driving through a part of the world as dear and familiar to him as any, when he learned that he was now sovereign of the United Kingdom and fourteen other realms, covering a large part of the Earth's surface.

"Schoolchildren are taught that the longest reign in British history began at a Kenyan watering hole; that Princess Elizabeth was watching wildlife from the branches of a giant fig tree when King George VI died in his sleep on 6 February 1952; that his dutiful daughter, having climbed up as a Princess, climbed down as Queen.

Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'

The King on his throne (Hugo , Burnand/Buckinham Palace)

King Charles was in fact behind the wheel on a Scottish country road when his mother died (Getty Images)

"History will also record that, seven decades later, on the afternoon of 8 September 2022, her son and heir was on an unmarked Scottish country road, at the wheel of his car, when he was first addressed as "Your Majesty". He had been to visit the Queen at Balmoral Castle earlier in the day and had then spent a few hours at his nearby home, Birkhall, before returning to the castle.

He had been to visit his mum hours before she died (Getty Images)

"In the manner of his late mother, he had climbed into the car as both Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay (his title when in Scotland). Twenty minutes later, he would climb out of it as King Charles III - with the new Queen at his side."

The book also goes on to provide information about the rift between King Charles and his son Prince Harry. The King would love to have his youngest son back in the fold and wants to patch up their fractured relationship, Mr Hardman claims.

While the book details the fall-out between Charles and his youngest son, Robert firmly believes the new King will reunite with Harry at some point in the future.

Mr Hardman claimed that Harry may not want to “reengage with his family”, after the father-of-two made a series of allegations against his close relatives, including details of a physical altercation between him and big brother Prince William over Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. “Charles would love to have him back in the fold, not being royal again - I think that ship has sailed, and I'm sure Harry would not want to do that,” he explained.

Ryan Fahey