Author says Harry was excluded from flights with other royals and was “knew nothing” about the queen’s health in her final moments Omid Scobie In his new book “Endgame,” he writes
prince harry Famously close to his grandmother queen elizabethBut he was left in the dark about the Queen’s health in her final hours, according to an explosive new book.
In this paragraph comes from End Game — Published on November 28, excerpted exclusively in Person of the week —Author Omid Scobie provides an in-depth look at Harry’s journey to the Queen’s deathbed last year.
In September 2022, Harry, 39, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 42, visited the UK for a series of events. During the visit, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth, 96, had been advised by her doctors to rest.
By the next morning, the Sussexes had no idea that Buckingham Palace was already preparing for the Queen’s final hours and the first days of the monarchy’s new era – until the Duke’s phone started ringing. An unknown number. He usually ignored the calls.
Megan told him, “You should answer.” Just before the call stopped, he clicked “Accept.” Harry didn’t speak much to his father that year, but this was not a time of tension between father and son. charles Tell him that he and Camilla are about to leave Dumfries Palace for Balmoral Castle, where Princess Anne is already at the Queen’s side. He told Harry to leave for Scotland immediately. Charles had just spoken to William, who is said to be arranging the trip. Harry texted his brother to ask how he and Kate planned to get to Scotland and if they could travel together. But no reply.
related: Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship irreparable: ‘No turning back’ (Exclusive)
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, view flowers and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth in Windsor, England on September 10, 2022. ” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/caWvViEmQqIgPCpLE0o0UA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTYzOA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/4a094b5a767c02cb2893ba0efc67 799c” class=”caas -img”/>
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, view flowers and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth in Windsor, England on September 10, 2022.
With no further information coming from other family members or royal aides, the Sussexes and their team were forced to act in the dark. Harry learned that William had booked a flight with his uncles Andrew and Edward (and Edward’s wife Sophie), but he was unable to contact anyone about joining the flight. “It was upsetting to witness,” a source close to the Sussexes said.[Harry] He was completely alone in this matter. “
As the world’s media flocked to Aberdeenshire (most flight and train tickets sold out within minutes), travel options dwindled. Another call came from Charles, instructing his younger son to come alone. Despite it being publicly confirmed that Meghan would be with the couple, he reluctantly agreed after Charles assured him that Kate wouldn’t be there either (which was always the plan if they traveled from California).
Charles cited “the agreement,” but the reality was that Kate chose to stay and pick up the kids for their first day at their new school. “They just didn’t want Meghan there,” said a former royal aide. One friend added, “You could tell she wasn’t welcome.”
Harry sent another text message to his brother. Nothing at all. Although there are still available seats on the Dassault Falcon private jet chartered by William and the plane will take off in less than an hour, Harry can only take care of himself.
“William ignored him,” a family source said. “He clearly didn’t want to see his brother.” Princess Eugenie reached out to Harry and asked if he had any more information about their grandmother. She heard from another family member that it was “time,” but beyond that, not much is known.
With no family members extending an invitation, Harry eventually found an option available – a private charter flight that cost [$37,000] From Luton Airport, it is a 40-minute drive from Frogmore (without traffic jams).
In this way, Harry began his journey to Scotland. Although rumors of the Queen’s death were rampant at this time, Harry had no way of knowing if this was true. His father didn’t carry a cell phone, and his brothers didn’t admire his presence. While William and the others landed at 3:50pm to find out the news that the Queen had died at 3:10pm, Harry still had no idea what had happened, and when his own plane finally took off at 5:35pm, due His phone service was cut off after takeoff and he was left in darkness throughout the 70-minute flight.
Back on the ground, a tug-of-war ensued between the Sussexes’ team and Buckingham Palace over whether to make the announcement without notifying Harry. Her Majesty’s death was confirmed to the Prime Minister just an hour before Harry left, and with all other senior family members now gathering in Scotland to process the news, the royal press secretary was ready to share it with the world. The palace claimed that Charles was trying to call Harry (sources later told me there was never any evidence of this) and that there was no time to delay.
A close family source confirmed: “His team actually had to plead with them to wait for his plane to land and they reluctantly agreed to postpone the statement for now.” But as stormy weather over Aberdeen International Airport forced Ha As Leigh’s plane made multiple stops at the airport before making a circuitous landing, the Buckingham Palace press office’s patience was wearing thin – they could no longer wait, and the announcement was made at 6:30 p.m. Twenty minutes later, when Harry’s plane finally arrived at the tarmac, he received a text message from Meghan urging him to call as soon as possible, followed by a breaking news alert on the BBC News app announcing the Queen’s death.
Royal “sources” later revealed to certain newspapers that Charles personally shared the news with his youngest son, but only to save face. “Harry was crushed,” said one of the Duke’s friends. “He had a terrible relationship with the Queen.” “Everything was told to him. She wanted him to know before it became public. They could have waited a little longer and it would have been okay in the long run, but no one respected that at all. “
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When he arrived at Balmoral Castle, he was greeted warmly by the quiet Princess Anne and taken to the Queen’s chambers, where he paid his respects privately for a moment. The mother was still alive – to show his sympathy, but he learned that Charles, William and Camilla had gone to Birkhall together.
Again, Harry was not invited. After dinner that night, he returned to his room, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of the day. He was happy to have a private moment to say goodbye to his grandmother, but there was no need to hold out as no offer was made to return with William and the others in the morning (all his text messages, including thoughtful messages about the loss of his grandmother, continued to be ignored) , Harry booked his own British Airways flight on the first departing flight.
In the months since their grandmother’s funeral, the rift between brothers Prince Harry and Prince William has widened further with the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary and the Duke’s revealing memoir free.
[William] It’s believed that Harry and Meghan’s public complaints and “Oh, California” self-righteousness caught the entire family, and even the Queen, off guard (a sentiment he has expressed in various ways to friends and aides multiple times over the past two years). One source claimed that after being brainwashed by an “army of therapists”, William said he didn’t even recognize his brother.
As for how he feels about Harry since the release of Harry Potter freeA source close to the prince told me, “There is huge anger there. He feels betrayed and saddened by the situation. But he also disagrees with what his brother thinks he has done. He feels he has lost it. A Spencer family source countered that this version was just that “Harry was someone who stepped outside the institution and saw things from a different perspective. They would never see someone else’s eyes.” At this point, they are in completely opposite positions…and that’s not going to change. “
On May 6, 2023, Prince Harry arrived at Westminster Abbey in London, England to attend the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. ” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/KbYH4oCbUPizvrBTTDsQyQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTYzNg–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/a610c6b4bf1f63ae5c061c37 2bba61d4″ class=”caas -img”/>
Andy Stanning-WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince Harry arrives at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London, England for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
In May, Harry made a brief appearance at the coronation of his 75-year-old father, King Charles, but was not invited to join the royal family on the palace balcony, leaving Meghan and their children at home.
When the Duke left California on May 5 to attend the coronation of King Charles (a decision he made because it was “the right thing to do” to support his father on such an important day), his emotions matched those of his arrival in London The feeling is completely different. Just a year ago on his platinum anniversary, he had a knot in his stomach. “While he has not yet reconciled with his family, he admits that things are unlikely to change, especially his brother, whom he refuses to even have a good conversation with.” As Harry later explained to a friend, “I’m ready Get rid of it. Whether we get an apology or accountability, who knows? Who really cares about that now?”
from End Game Author: Omid Scobie. Copyright © 2023, Omid Scobie. Reprinted with permission from Dey Street, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.
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