Prince Harry Says His Plane Was ‘En Route’ to Balmoral When Queen Elizabeth II Died and More Funeral Revelations

Credit: Leon Neal/Pool/Shutterstock

Prince Harry Says His Plane Was 'En Route' to Balmoral When Queen Elizabeth II Died and More Funeral Revelations

The final moments. Prince Harry opened up about the death of his beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth II — and his race to visit her bedside before her passing.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, wrote in his Spare memoir, which Us Weekly exclusively obtained before its Tuesday, January 10, publication date, that father King Charles III called him to explain that “Granny’s” health had “taken a turn.” Her Majesty, who was 96 at the time of her death, had been staying at Balmoral Estate in Scotland with daughter Princess Anne. Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William and Harry all quickly raced to say goodbye. (Harry and wife Meghan Markle had traveled to the U.K. earlier that week to attend the WellChild Awards in London.)

“[Charles] said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want … her,” the Invictus Games cofounder claimed in his memoir, referring to his 74-year-old father and the 41-year-old Suits alum. “He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. [I replied,] ’Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.'”

The king — who ascended the throne following Elizabeth’s death — explained that “no other wives” were invited to Balmoral, including Princess Kate and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Harry, for his part, booked a private plane for himself out of Luton, England. By the time he landed, Meghan urged him to call her. He then immediately went to the BBC website, which had reported the queen’s death via a statement from Buckingham Palace.

“I put on my black tie, walked off the plane into a thick mist, sped in a borrowed car to Balmoral,” Harry recalled in Spare, before noting that his aunt Anne, 72, was there to greet him. “She asked if I wanted to see Granny. [I answered,] ‘Yes, I do.’”

The BetterUp CIO further remarked that his grandmother’s bedroom seemed “unfamiliar” as he walked inside to find her resting body. “It was difficult, but I kept on thinking how I’d regretted not seeing my mother at the end,” he wrote, referring to Princess Diana’s 1997 death.

Shortly after the palace announced that the queen had died, Harry released a poignant statement about her “everlasting legacy.”

“In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen — and in mourning her loss — we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty,” the California resident — who shares son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 19 months, with Meghan — wrote in a September 12, 2022, statement. “She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life.

He added at the time: “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander in chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over.”

As the official mourning period for the late monarch began, Harry traveled back to London and reunited with his wife. The twosome, who wed in 2018, stayed in town to attend her state funeral and committal service.

Scroll below for more of Harry’s thoughts about the queen’s death and memorial service:

Credit: Leon Neal/Pool/Shutterstock

Prince Harry Says His Plane Was 'En Route' to Balmoral When Queen Elizabeth II Died and More Funeral Revelations

The final moments. Prince Harry opened up about the death of his beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth II — and his race to visit her bedside before her passing.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, wrote in his Spare memoir, which Us Weekly exclusively obtained before its Tuesday, January 10, publication date, that father King Charles III called him to explain that “Granny’s” health had “taken a turn.” Her Majesty, who was 96 at the time of her death, had been staying at Balmoral Estate in Scotland with daughter Princess Anne. Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William and Harry all quickly raced to say goodbye. (Harry and wife Meghan Markle had traveled to the U.K. earlier that week to attend the WellChild Awards in London.)

“[Charles] said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn’t want … her,” the Invictus Games cofounder claimed in his memoir, referring to his 74-year-old father and the 41-year-old Suits alum. “He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn’t having it. [I replied,] ’Don’t ever speak about my wife that way.'”

The king — who ascended the throne following Elizabeth’s death — explained that “no other wives” were invited to Balmoral, including Princess Kate and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Harry, for his part, booked a private plane for himself out of Luton, England. By the time he landed, Meghan urged him to call her. He then immediately went to the BBC website, which had reported the queen’s death via a statement from Buckingham Palace.

“I put on my black tie, walked off the plane into a thick mist, sped in a borrowed car to Balmoral,” Harry recalled in Spare, before noting that his aunt Anne, 72, was there to greet him. “She asked if I wanted to see Granny. [I answered,] ‘Yes, I do.’”

The BetterUp CIO further remarked that his grandmother’s bedroom seemed “unfamiliar” as he walked inside to find her resting body. “It was difficult, but I kept on thinking how I’d regretted not seeing my mother at the end,” he wrote, referring to Princess Diana’s 1997 death.

Shortly after the palace announced that the queen had died, Harry released a poignant statement about her “everlasting legacy.”

“In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen — and in mourning her loss — we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty,” the California resident — who shares son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 19 months, with Meghan — wrote in a September 12, 2022, statement. “She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life.

He added at the time: “Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander in chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren. I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over.”

As the official mourning period for the late monarch began, Harry traveled back to London and reunited with his wife. The twosome, who wed in 2018, stayed in town to attend her state funeral and committal service.

Scroll below for more of Harry’s thoughts about the queen’s death and memorial service:

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Prince Harry Was Flying to the Queen’s Bedside When She Died

The military veteran revealed in Spare that there were no more commercial flights into Aberdeen for the day, so he needed to charter a private jet from Luton. By the time the plane started its descent, Meghan texted him to “Call me the moment you get this.” Harry then learned of Elizabeth’s death via the BBC’s news coverage.

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King Charles Said Only Harry Was ‘Welcome’ at Balmoral — But Not Meghan or Kate

Harry alleged that his father told him that “he simply did not want a lot of people” around the castle amid Elizabeth’s health decline. Charles reasoned that since William’s wife was staying home, then Meghan should too.

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Harry Remembers His Last Conversation With the Queen

During his Scotland flight, the duke reflected on his final conversation with Elizabeth — four days earlier. “We’d touched on many topics,” Harry wrote, revealing they spoke about her health, the “turmoil” in the Prime Minister’s office, the upcoming Invictus Games, and the lawn at Frogmore Cottage — where he and the Bench author were staying during the England visit — which was in “terrible shape.”

“‘It looks like the top of my head, Granny! Balding and brown in patches,’” he joked to the queen about the grounds and his thinning hair, which earned a laugh. “I told her to take care [and] I looked forward to seeing her soon.”

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Harry Was 'In Awe' of the Queen's Final Duties

After the prince said his final goodbye to Her Majesty at the castle, he whispered that he “hoped she was happy” and had reunited with husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021. “I said that I was in awe of her carrying out her duties to the last,” Harry wrote in Spare, referring to the Platinum Jubilee and greeting Liz Truss as Prime Minister. (Truss stepped down in October 2022 before Rishi Sunak took over the position.)

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Harry and William ‘Barely’ Spoke at Queen’s Funeral

As Harry attempted to find out the family’s memorial plans, he claimed that his brother kept dodging his texts. In fact, Harry wrote that he and “Willy” had “barely” exchanged a word during the state funeral. (The brothers marched side-by-side in the royal procession alongside cousin Peter Phillips and behind Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.)