After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton departed from Windsor Castle. As she made her first public appearance since the passing of the Queen, the Princess of Wales hid her tears behind a pair of sunglasses.
Kate, dressed subtly in all black, was spotted in her car near Ascot this afternoon, picking up her three children from their first week at the Lambrook school.
Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, will be profoundly affected by the loss of their great-grandmother the Queen as they and their parents settle into their new life at Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty spent the vast majority of the year.
On Tuesday, “the gang,” as they like to refer to themselves, ran up the steps of their new prep school, with William and Kate holding their hands in giddy anticipation. Within 48 hours, the entire country was in sorrow, but the Duchess remained in Windsor to show her support for the youngsters at school while William boarded an RAF plane and headed to Aberdeenshire.
Now that his grandmother has passed away, Prince William, heir to the throne, is coming home to Balmoral to be with his family.
Tomorrow, he’ll travel to London to witness the proclamation of his father, Charles III, as King at the Accession Council.
In his first speech to the nation as king, Charles today announced that his son and daughter-in-law will become the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
William’s younger brother Harry also hurried to Scotland, but while he was on approach to Aberdeen in a private jet, the news of Her Majesty’s death was reported. They were together for 12 hours before he returned to Windsor with Meghan from Balmoral.
This afternoon, King Charles III met with mourners outside Buckingham Palace, where he shook hands, accepted condolences, and listened to spontaneous renditions of “God Save the King” and the national song. At least one of the ladies planted a peck on his cheek. Before entering the palace, he looked at the flowers and condolences left for his late mother at the gates.
Harry took an early morning BA flight and, upon arriving at Heathrow, put a reassuring touch on the shoulder of an airport worker who had offered him condolences.
The Sussexes are not likely to return to California until after the state burial, which is scheduled for September 19, ten days after Harry left Balmoral to grieve his grandmother with his father and brother.
The Duke of Sussex arrived at the castle in Aberdeenshire the latest of the royals last night and departed first thing this morning.
The world is in mourning today as Britain’s longest reigning monarch passes away and her son ascends to the throne. The ballroom at Balmoral, where the Queen and her beloved Prince Philip spent every summer, is widely believed to be where her coffin, draped in the Royal Standard and topped with a wreath of her favorite flowers, now rests.
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla have left for London, where the King will meet with the Prime Minister and deliver a national address. His sibling group still resides in Balmoral.
For “official reasons,” King Charles “must return to London,” a Buckingham Palace source informed MailOnline. One of the senior royals, though, plans to spend the day in solitude and reflection at Balmoral. The Accession Council for King Charles III will take place at the State Apartments of St. James’s Palace tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.
At 8:28 this morning, Harry left the Royal Family’s Scottish residence, where he had arrived at 7:52 yesterday night, to return to Meghan. He was last seen sitting alone in the back of a Range Rover. At 9:20 a.m., he was escorted into the airport at Aberdeen by five police outriders, and he boarded a flight to London that was scheduled to take off at 10 a.m.
As he made his way to the airplane, Harry donned a black suit and carried a shoulder bag. A worker at the airport expressed her condolences to the Prince as he prepared to board a British Airways plane.
The woman, who was wearing a bright yellow jacket for visibility, spoke to Prince Harry. Before boarding the plane to London’s Heathrow Airport, the prince gave her a friendly grin and a touch on the shoulder.
Duke of Sussex arrived in Scotland yesterday, 15 minutes after the news of Her Majesty’s death was broadcast throughout the world, and his grief was clear to see. He was taken from Aberdeen Airport to Balmoral, where he arrived late at night with his head lowered and his face partially concealed. Twelve hours later, he was on his way out.
After causing a split with the royals, notably William, with their statements following Megxit, the Sussexes were not expecting to encounter any members of the Royal Family until yesterday’s tragedy, despite staying yards from Wales during their pseudo-royal tour of Europe.
Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, had all arrived aboard an RAF plane. However, they presumably did not get to the manor in time to save her life. The first reports also included his younger sibling.
However, Harry was airborne when the news of his grandmother’s death was released by Buckingham Palace. He took off from Luton Airport in a private plane and landed at Balmoral almost 1.5 hours after making the landmark announcement.
The proclamation was made by courtiers at 6.30 p.m., just over an hour after Prince William and other senior royals had arrived to join Prince Charles at the Queen’s house. According to Downing Street, Liz Truss found out at 4:30 p.m.
Harry’s Cessna was still airborne as the world received the devastating news, and it was approaching Aberdeen Airport.
The message was made a minute before the Duchess of Sussex’s flight was scheduled to land at 6:29 p.m. Though it took a departure from London’s Luton Airport at 5:35 p.m., 20 minutes later than scheduled. Aberdeen could be reached in 1 hr 11 min.
When he touched down at 6:46 p.m., 16 minutes had passed since the palace made the news.
Afterward, Harry drove alone to Windsor Castle, where he eventually arrived at 7:52 p.m. to join the rest of the Royal Family in grieving the Queen’s passing.
He rode in the back of a Range Rover, pale and uneasy, as it roared up to the Balmoral estate. He may have been grieving the loss of his grandmother and thinking about his life without her guidance as a monarch. Despite the difficulties they’d been experiencing, she still cared deeply for him, and he was still able to make her laugh.
Before he arrived, a black page with the words “In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022” had been posted as the homepage of his and Meghan’s Archewell website.
There had been some uncertainty earlier in the day as to whether or not Meghan was also on her route to Scotland.