The grief etched on his face, stricken Harry (but not Meghan) heads for Balmoral
PRINCE Harry was in mid air when Buckingham Palace announced the death of his beloved grandmother.
He flew by private jet from London, arriving at Balmoral an hour and a half after the historic statement.
Courtiers issued the declaration at 6.30pm – just over an hour after Prince William and other senior royals had arrived to join Prince Charles at the Queen’s residence.
But when the world was being told the saddest of news, Harry’s Cessna was still in the air, making its approach to Aberdeen Airport.
The Duke of Sussex’s flight had been due to land at 6.29pm, a minute before the statement. But it was 20 minutes late taking off from London’s Luton Airport – with flight data showing it departed at 5.35pm. It took one hour and 11 minutes to reach Aberdeen.
By the time he landed, at 6.46pm, it was 16 minutes after the palace had made the announcement.
Harry then faced a lonely drive to the castle, finally arriving at 7.52pm where he joined other members of the Royal Family in mourning the Queen’s death.
He looked ashen-faced on the back seat of the Range Rover as it swept into the Balmoral estate. As well as losing a beloved grandmother, he may have been reflecting on his future without her as monarch. She remained fond of him, in spite of recent challenges, and he was said to have retained an ability to make her laugh.
By the time he arrived, his and Meghan’s Archewell website homepage had been replaced with a respectful blackedout page with the words: ‘In loving
‘An ability to make her laugh’
memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022.’
Earlier in the day there had been confusion over whether Meghan was also on her way to Scotland.
In the morning, it appeared they were both intending to visit Her Majesty’s residence – until changing the plan so that Harry went alone.
As senior royals dashed to the bedside, a spokesman for the Sussexes was widely reported to have announced that Meghan and Harry were on their way.
The possibility raised eyebrows behind palace doors, given the recent strained
relations between the Sussexes and senior royals.
Meghan’s well-publicised accusations about racism in the Royal Family and alleging it did not support her in palace life overshadowed the Queen’s final days.
In contrast to the Sussexes, there was never any suggestion that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge would go together.
While William hastened north, Kate remained in London, where she was seen taking their children to their first full day at their new school.
Senior royals including William are said to have been avoiding his brother and wife amid concerns any encounters could provide material for the Duke of Sussex’s forthcoming book.
Although they live in California, the Sussexes have been in Europe this week on a mini ‘royal’- style tour, including an event in Germany for the duke’s forthcoming Invictus Games.
Last night they had been due to attend the WellChild Awards in London, which honours the brave deeds of seriously ill children.
They were not scheduled to see the Queen at all during their trip to the UK, but decided to go to Balmoral on hearing about Her Majesty’s health, it was reported yesterday morning.
However by the afternoon, the plan suddenly experienced a dramatic U-turn, with Meghan apparently no longer coming. A spokesman for the couple was widely reported as saying Meghan would now remain in London, although would not attend the WellChild awards. It was said the duchess could potentially join Harry in Scotland at a later date.
Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilibet – named after the Queen – have stayed behind in the United States, and the couple were expected to return to them by the end of the week.
Earlier this week, one of the Sussexes’ favoured journalists claimed that Meghan and Harry still had not spoken to William and Kate, despite enjoying a day off from their tour, at Frogmore Cottage just 700 yards away from the latter pair’s Adelaide Cottage.
It was claimed this week that William had resolved not to speak to Harry until after his memoirs are released, fearing their conversation would appear on its pages.
The brothers now face seeing a lot of each other as they prepare for the Queen’s funeral.
‘Face seeing a lot of each other’