'Harry was crushed': New book claims the Duke of Sussex was 'in the dark' during the Queen's final hours
By Jo Abi|
Prince Harry was "in the dark" during Queen Elizabeth's final moments, according to a new book by Omid Scobie called Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival, out on November 28.
Scobie, co-author of Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern ?Royal Family, claims the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not informed of the Queen's ailing health, despite already being in London for a series of events.
In an excerpt of the book, published in PEOPLE, Scobie describes the morning of the Queen's death from the perspective of the Sussex's, with whom he is rumoured to have a friendly relationship.
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Scobie says Buckingham Palace already knew the Queen was close to death when Harry and Meghan Markle touched down in the UK.
It was King Charles who informed his son of his grandmother's sharp decline and they were on their way to Balmoral Castle where the Queen was staying, and he should make his way to Scotland.
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Scobie claims Harry then texted his brother Prince William asking how he and Kate planned to get to Scotland, but received no response.?
Harry was later told William was travelling to Scotland with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
King Charles called Harry again and told him to make his own way to Scotland, which Harry ultimately did. Scobie also alleges King Charles asked him to come alone, without Meghan Markle.
Harry reportedly reluctantly agreed after being assured the Princess of Wales would not be there either.?
"They just didn't want Meghan there," a former Palace aid alleged in the book. A friend of the Sussex's claimed Meghan "could sense she wasn't wanted".
Prince Harry then sent another text to his brother but once again didn't receive a reply, despite there being room for him on Prince William's chartered private jet.
Harry and his team booked him a private charter flight from Luton Airport, a 40 minute drive from where he was staying at Frogmore Cottage.?
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The book claims Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were informed of the Queen's passing when they landed at 3.50pm. Harry wouldn't find out until hours later.
Little did Harry know, there was a tussle between Buckingham Palace and the Sussex's team about announcing the Queen's death before Harry could be informed.
"His team literally had to beg for them to wait for his plane to land and they reluctantly agreed to hold the statement back for a little bit," confirmed a close family source in the book.
However bad weather then delayed Harry's plane landing, so the announcement was made at 6.30pm.
Scobie writes that "Harry was crushed."?
"His relationship with the Queen was everything to him. She would have wanted him to know before it went out to the world. They could have waited just a little longer, it would have been nothing in the grand scheme of things, but no one respected that at all."
In the end, only Princess Anne made it in time to see the Queen before she died.
The book then chronicles events following Queen Elizabeth's death, with Scobie alleging Harry was left out of intimate family gatherings including the evening of the Queen's death.
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Prince Harry would attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral with Meghan Markle by his side.?
?Scobie seemingly confirmed the division between Harry and his family, in particular with his brother Prince William, upon the release of Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries three months after the Queen's death and the publication of Harry's memoir Spare four months after Her Majesty's passing.
Despite the tensions, Harry would attend his father's coronation in May, however Meghan chose to remain in the US with their children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two.
Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival, which is published by Harper Collins, explores the impact of Queen Elizabeth's death on the monarchy.
The book description describes King Charles as "unpopular" and Prince William as a "power-hungry heir to the throne".
It also alleges the Queen was "willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image" and questions if the monarchy, an "institution in turmoil," has what it takes to survive.
