It was a bittersweet moment for Charles as he stepped into the role he’d been waiting for his whole life for.
Charles knew his mother had died before the official news was broken to him, it’s been revealed in a documentary (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Royal Family has been through a few twists and turns but it was the end of a long stable chapter for the UK when Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. The monarch served an incredible 70 years on the throne, making her Britain’s longest-reigning, and she was one of the most popular public figures across the globe.
With the end of an era marked by the Queen’s death, it also heralded a new beginning as King Charles stepped into the role he’d been waiting to do his whole life. At the age of 73, Charles became King, a bittersweet move as he was forced to navigate his new position whilst also grieving for his mum, as writes the Mirror.
The Queen was at Balmoral and had been at the Scottish estate for the weeks leading up to her death at the age of 96. On the morning she passed, September 8, 2022, the then Prince Charles was called and told that it would not be long before his mother died. He was joined by his sister Anne, and the pair spent the final few hour’s of the monarch’s life taking turns to sit beside her, it’s revealed in a new documentary.
Channel 5’s Birkhall: The King’s Secret Sanctuary, sees experts discuss the moment Charles became the new King as they delve into the fact that he was “summoned to Balmoral” from his own home on the Aberdeenshire estate, Birkhall, which is described as one of his favourite residences.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said in the documentary: “He was told that it would probably be a few hours before she passed away.”
Royal expert and journalist Emily Andrews added: “Charles and Anne had been taking it in turns to sit with the Queen and then, I think, as she slipped into a coma, Charles needed a bit of fresh air and some nature.
“So he went to the grounds of Birkhall, and it was there that he took the call.”
Viewers will discover that ahead of Charles being given the official news of the Queen’s death, he already knew thanks to two words that were said to him upon answering the call.
Jennie said: “He knew what had happened.
“Because he was addressed by the person who rang him, the courtier, as ‘Your Majesty’ and then he knew, ‘Well, my mother has died’ and obviously he raced back to Balmoral to be at her side.”
It’s also claimed in the documentary that members of the family felt relief after their huge loss because the Queen had been able to spend her last days at her beloved Balmoral, where she’d spent some of her happiest times.
Emily Andrews added: “I think everybody in the Royal Family, actually, was really glad it happened in Scotland and for Charles as well to be at Birkhall, where it’s such a kind of safe space for him, he feels very calm and relaxed, I think was very important’.
After the news circulated within the wider family, Prince William, Edward and Andrew soon travelled to Balmoral, followed a short time later by Prince Harry.
Harry has since revealed that he found out about his grandmother’s death from a breaking news alert on his phone after his flight to Scotland was delayed.
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Following the monarch’s passing, her coffin was taken to Edinburgh where it laid in rest and Scots were able to say goodbye and pay their respects.
The coffin was then flown to RAF Northolt and taken back to London to lie in state at Westminster Hall. Princess Anne accompanied her mother on every leg of the journey, calling it an “honour and a privilege”.
Birkhall: The King’s Secret Sanctuary , airs Saturday 21 June at 7.30pm on Channel 5.