Prince Harry has claimed he received a “really horrible reaction” from his family after Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The British monarch sadly passed away at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022 at her home in Balmoral, Scotland.
During his sit-down interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby on Sunday night, the Duke of Sussex revealed the last time he saw his family was at the Queen’s funeral.
He said: “The last moment that we were together was during, you know, our – or the Queen’s funeral. And that, in my mind – and I think globally people felt the same – was a really good opportunity to bring the family together.”
“Um, but the day that she died was just a really, really horrible reaction from my family members. And then by all accounts, well certainly from what I saw and what other people probably experienced, was they were on the back foot and then the briefings and the leaking and the planting.”
“I was like ‘We’re here to celebrate the life of granny and to mourn her loss, can we come together as a family?’ But I don’t know – I don’t know how we collectively – how we change that.”
As previously reported, Harry arrived at Balmoral Castle hours after the Queen had died.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had returned to the UK in September to attend a string of charity events when the world caught wind of the late monarch’s illness, and Harry desperately rushed to be by her side.
However, the 38-year-old sadly didn’t make it to the Scottish estate of Balmoral until after his grandmother’s death was announced to the public.
While a host of senior royals rushed to see the Queen before she died, it’s believed her eldest children Charles and Princess Anne were the only ones who were able to make it on time.
Prince Andrew, Prince William, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie got a private jet from Berkshire to Aberdeen on September 8 after hearing the news of her declining health, but it’s understood they did not reach the estate before she passed.
According to The Sun, Harry was supposed to be on their flight, but things were delayed when the Duke of Sussex was allegedly told he couldn’t bring Meghan.
Earlier that day, the couple’s spokesman said they would both be travelling to Scotland, but it was later confirmed that the Duchess wouldn’t be joining her husband.
Insiders have since claimed Charles phoned his youngest son and said it was “not appropriate” for Meghan to be there.
Following the delay, Harry had to jump on a separate flight without Meghan to Aberdeen, but he sadly didn’t make it until after the Queen’s death was announced to the public.
Harry’s flight had been due to land at 6.29pm, a minute before the statement, but it was 20 minutes late taking off from London’s Luton Airport.
By the time he landed in Aberdeen at 6.46pm, it was 16 minutes after the Palace had made the announcement.
The Duke was then driven to Balmoral Castle, where he reportedly declined dinner at Birkhall with King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, and Prince William.
Just hours after he arrived at the royal estate on September 8, Harry departed the following morning and boarded a British Airways flight from Aberdeen to London at 10am.
The Duke was then reunited with Meghan at their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, Windsor.
Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working members of the Royal family in March 2020, and subsequently moved to Montecito, California with their children.
Harry’s memoir Spare is set for release on January 10.
