In the wake of the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, it has emerged that Prince Harry missed seeing his grandmother one last time by mere hours.
The 96-year-old monarch died peacefully in her Balmoral home after key royals such as Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, rushed to Scotland to be by her side.
Prince Anne was already by her mother’s side, having attended an engagement in Balmoral earlier in the week.
However, flight data obtained by the Daily Mail has shown that the Duke of Sussex was still airborne when the Queen passed at 6.30pm UK time, landing 15 minutes later and officially leaving the airport at 7pm.
He reportedly arrived at the Balmoral estate at 7.52pm, appearing visibly upset as he was photographed while inside a black car.
Prince Harry seen with head in hands after the death of the Queen announced https://t.co/CoObKSwrUJ pic.twitter.com/Hbpy86Ibn9
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) September 8, 2022
Royal commentator and former British Royal Family Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter told Today that King Charles III and Queen Camilla would have arrived pretty quickly at the estate, given that they live “just down the road” at Birkhall.
“The rest of the family would have headed towards Northolt Airport, just outside of London, boarded a plane to Aberdeen Airport, then an hour’s drive from there,” Arbiter said.
“It was quite interesting and I find extraordinary that Prince Harry wasn’t on the same aircraft, and making his own way there, and probably arrived, if indeed he has arrived, after the death of his grandmother, which, is very sad in the circumstances,” he continued, minutes before it was confirmed Harry did not make it to Scotland in time.
Royal commentator Chris Ship tweeted: “Very sad for Prince Harry that – despite being in the UK – he didn’t get to see his grandmother, The Queen, before she passed away.
Very sad for Prince Harry that – despite being in the UK – he didn’t get to see his grandmother, The Queen, before she passed away.
They were very close and he spoke to her often despite his decision to leave the Royal Family.#QueenElizabeth pic.twitter.com/bGMavZ7vQQ— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 8, 2022
“They were very close and he spoke to her often despite his decision to leave the Royal Family.”
Despite reportedly being just west of London when the Queen went under medical supervision, it is unclear why Harry didn’t travel with the other Royal family members, who landed in Aberdeen at 4pm, per the Daily Mail.
The former royal was in London with his wife Meghan Markle – who is understood to have stayed there while he travelled to Scotland – for the WellChild Awards, where Harry was due to give a speech.
But, they cancelled their appearance due to the news of the Queen’s ill health.
The Sussexes have since paid tribute to the Queen, with their Archewell website turning black and the message, “In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022” appearing in the centre.
Image: Getty Images
This article first appeared on OverSixty.