There was a global outpouring of grief when it was announced that Her Majesty the Queen had passed away at the age of 96. And there was one key moment when the severity of the situation became clear

The world was shocked and saddened when, at 6.30pm on 8 September 2022, it was announced that Her Majesty the Queen had died. There was an outpouring of grief across the globe at the loss of the 96-year-old monarch, who had reigned for more than 70 years, and dedicated herself to a life of service.

While her declining health had been largely kept under wraps, there was one key moment when it became clear the situation was serious. According to the Guardian, “When Buckingham Palace announced at 12.50pm that William, Andrew, Edward and Sophie were on their way to Scotland, the gravity of the situation was very clear. At about 2pm, in a separate statement, the Sussexes, who were staying at Frogmore Cottage on a visit to the UK to attend an awards ceremony, announced that they, too, would be heading to Scotland.”

By that time, the Queen’s two eldest children were by the Queen’s bedside. Charles arrived at Balmoral shortly before 10.30am, while his wife the then-Duchess of Cornwall was driven from nearby Birkhall to join him. Princess Anne, who was in Scotland on official engagements, was already there. Sadly, the rest of the family didn’t make it in time. While the announcement of the Queen’s death was made at 6.30pm, it was later revealed in her death certificate that she had passed away at 3.10pm from “old age”.

William, Andrew Sophie and Edward landed at Aberdeen airport at 3.50pm, 40 minutes after her death. With William driving, they arrived at Balmoral at 5.06pm, an hour and 25 minutes before the news of the Queen’s passing would be made public. By the time Harry landed at Aberdeen airport at 6.45pm, the world had been told.

A spokesperson for Charles said at the time: “The public was only informed after every family member had been informed.” But Harry has disputed this. He claimed in his tell-all book that he found out about his grandmother’s passing on the BBC website. Harry wrote that he had a phone call from his father, then Prince Charles, to say that the Queen’s health was worsening.

But while Prince Harry made plans to travel to Balmoral, he said he was asked not to bring his wife Meghan. “When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: ‘Call me when you get this’,” he wrote. “I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King.”