The Queen died in Balmoral of ‘old age’, it was revealed yesterday – the first time a monarch’s death certificate has reportedly been made public.
But the document also raises intriguing questions after details on it confirmed that: Prince Harry was not more than three hours aware of his grandmother’s death.
Only her two eldest children – King Charles and his sister, Princess Anne – were with their mother when she died at 3:10 p.m. on Sept. 8. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, as well as Prince Andrew and Prince Williamwere all on a plane bound for Scotland at the time and would have been informed in the air.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, hadn’t even arrived at an airport, amid apparent confusion over whether to travel to Aberdeenshire with his wife Meghan. Finally, at 5:35 p.m., he was handed a private jet from Luton, landing in Aberdeen at 6:47 p.m.
Queen died in Balmoral of ‘old age’, it was revealed yesterday – first time a monarch’s death certificate has reportedly been made public
It has already been confirmed by palace sources that his father did not manage to contact his son in the air until 6:25 p.m. – just five minutes before the news the world feared was officially announced.
Charles had been pushing all afternoon to tell his youngest son in person before an official statement was released by Buckingham Palace.
He had called both Harry and his brother William earlier in the day to tell them to get to Scotland as soon as possible because their grandmother was fading fast. Then he returned to the queen’s bed.
But that leaves a crucial two hours and 25 minutes between the Queen dying and Harry taking to the skies, when it turns out there was no communication between the Prince and his family.
In contrast, the Prime Minister, Liz Truss, was informed at 4:30 p.m. Palace officials declined to comment last night, while other royal sources were unable to explain the discrepancy. But insiders stressed that the old-fashioned king does not have a cell phone and that his schedule is such that conversations between him and his family normally have to be “scheduled”.
Relatives have to resort to calling staff or even one of his police bodyguards to try and get him an urgent message.
Others said it was likely the king wanted to tell his son in person, but when the clock ticked for the release of an official announcement, he simply ran out of time.
But that leaves a crucial two hours and 25 minutes between the Queen dying and Harry taking to the skies, when it turns out there was no communication between the Prince and his family. Pictured: Prince Harry arrives in Balmoral shortly after Queen Elizabeth’s death
Sources with deep knowledge of Operation London Bridge – the plan to manage the aftermath of Queen’s death – also stressed that in addition to dealing with the inevitable grief of the situation, there would have been a mass administration to deal with.
“I’m sure, as with anything, there is a meticulous plan on paper, but then the chaos of real life takes place amid the trauma of their personal grief,” said one.
Another source explained that “few people in the family” were still in regular contact with Harry and that he could also be “incredibly hard to reach.”
Whatever the truth, it highlights the complexities of the relationship between the royal family and Harry, who saw him leave Balmoral the morning after his grandmother’s death for the first possible fight from Aberdeen.
He remained in the UK until the day after the funeral, and was seen in public walking in Windsor with his brother and their wives, and at the funeral itself. He was also seen at the wake.
The possibility of family quarrels behind the scenes has already been raised after it emerged that the plane carrying Edward, Andrew and William to Scotland was delayed by an hour. It was scheduled for 1:30 PM but didn’t depart until 2:39 PM.
Just before 2 p.m. that day, a spokesperson for the Sussexes announced that Harry and Meghan would travel to Scotland together.
This came as a surprise to many, as only close relatives would be expected, apart from the Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, with whom the Queen was close. Kate, then Duchess of Cambridge, decided to stay in Windsor with her and William’s three children.
Half an hour after their initial announcement, a spokesperson for the Sussexes issued a correction, saying that only Harry planned to travel. The discrepancy was later explained away as an ‘error’.
Sources with deep knowledge of Operation London Bridge – the plan to manage the aftermath of the Queen’s death – also stressed that in addition to dealing with the inevitable grief of the situation, there would have been a mass of administration to deal with
Harry’s team hastily chartered a private jet – at an estimated cost of £30,000 – from Luton. The Sun later claimed that Harry had missed the RAF flight due to an ‘argue over Meghan’ after his father told him it was ‘inappropriate’ to take her with him.
It has also been claimed that although Charles tried to call his son to tell him that his grandmother had passed away, the call did not actually go through. It is said that although Harry knew his father was trying to talk to him, the prince read a breaking news announcement online before they could use the technology to speak.
This is disputed by the palace, but a spokesman for the king stressed that the announcement of the queen’s death “was not made until all family members were notified.”
The Queen’s death certificate was finally released by the Scottish Clerk, Paul Lowe, exactly three weeks to the day after she died. By law, it must be registered within eight days. The certificate states that Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, a widow, died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Aberdeenshire.
It lists her usual residence as Windsor Castle and her occupation as ‘Her Majesty the Queen’.
The certifying registered physician was Douglas James Allan Glass. Since 1998 he has been a pharmacist at Her Majesty’s house in Balmoral.
The doctor, the family doctor in the village of Braemar, near Balmoral, told The Times that he was present at her death and that it was “not unexpected”. He said, “We’ve been worried about the Queen’s health for months.”
The cause of death, ‘old age’, is the same as that for Prince Philip in April 2021. In Scotland, this should not be recorded as the sole cause, although there are exceptions, including the certifying physician who personally cares for the deceased over a long period of time and a gradual perceive decline.