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Harry told of Queen's death only minutes before official announcement

King Charles told Prince Harry of the Queen's passing only five minutes before the news was made public with Buckingham Palace's official announcement.

The Telegraph has revealed Harry received the call from his father whilst he was mid-air, shortly before landing in Scotland.

King Charles reportedly only told Prince Harry of the Queen's passing five minutes before Buckingham Palace's official announcement. Photo: Getty
King Charles reportedly only told Prince Harry of the Queen's passing five minutes before Buckingham Palace's official announcement. Photo: Getty

By the time the Duke of Sussex's plane had touched down, the world knew of the Queen's death.

A royal source told the publication that Harry had not been treated any differently from any other members of the family and that the King wasn't in regular contact with anyone on the day.

"Everybody was trying to get where they needed to be," the source said. "That was the focus.

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"And the King was adamant that the official statement must not be released until all members of the family had been informed. That was a father talking because he cares."

However, it's clear that there is still a huge rift between Harry and the royal family.

When the Queen's health declined the previous night, the news was sent to members of the family. However, at the time, it wasn't believed to be urgent enough to drop everything and go to Balmoral.

By the morning, things had changed, and Prince Charles flew to be with his mother.

Prince Harry at Queen's vigil
Harry was not told of the downturn in the Queen's health until well after his brother Prince William. Photo: Getty

He later called both of his sons to tell them the Queen wasn't expected to make it, advising them to make plans to travel to Scotland.

Harry, however, is believed to have received the call some time after William, making it much harder for him to get a flight, with his team looking at every possible option to get him to Scotland.

William, meanwhile, flew with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward on an RAF flight that got them to Aberdeen at 3:50pm.

Harry was unable to take off until 5:35pm, an hour after Prime Minister Liz Truss was reportedly informed of the Queen's passing.

It's unclear why the Duke of Sussex wasn't informed until much later, however, Charles delayed the release of the public statement until he could contact Harry while he was in the air.

The statement was released at 6:30 pm, 16 minutes before Harry's plane landed.

While Harry has kept up appearances with his family, it would seem unlikely that a reconciliation would be on the cards.

The Queen's grandchildren
While Harry has kept up appearances with his family, it would seem unlikely that a reconciliation would be on the cards. Photo: Getty

It comes after Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had their invitation to Sunday's state reception for world leaders at Buckingham Palace revoked with the invitation reportedly sent to the couple in error.

The Duke of Sussex was also left "devastated" after having the Queen's initials, ER, removed from his military uniform for a vigil over the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall on Saturday alongside the Queen's other grandchildren.

The initials were removed as he is no longer a working member of the royal family, however, Prince Andrew was allowed to keep them despite no longer being a working royal.

Harry was reportedly so "heartbroken" by the ban that he considered ditching his military uniform altogether, according to the Sunday Times.

The initials are only to be worn by those "in service" of the monarch.

"He is heartbroken," a friend told the publication. "To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional."

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