First vital question King Charles was asked in the moments after late Queen died – Click to read more

The King was not with his mother when she passed away – and as he returned to Balmoral in the wake of her death, he was asked one key question by Sir Edward Glass

King Charles was asked one crucial question following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II – and it would go down in the history books.

Charles received a phone call from his sister Princess Anne urging him to immediately return to Balmoral on the morning of 8 September. And at 9.30am, he and wife Camilla boarded a helicopter to make the 150-mile trip from Ayrshire, where he has been carrying out official duties.

According to royal author Robert Hardman in his book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, Charles then fulfilled his final duties as heir – reading his briefing papers for the last time as a prince – before making four phone calls to Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Prince Harry, telling them to leave for Scotland.

He arrived at nearby Birkhall – his and Camilla’s retreat – before 10.30am and then borrowed a Land Rover from a staff member in order to drive to Balmoral, where they were able to spend an hour at the Queen’s bedside. But Charles was not with his mother when she passed away, although his sister Anne kept her vigil. He had briefly stepped away from her bedside to clear his head and had gone out to gather mushrooms.

At around 3pm, Dr Douglas Glass – who held the title Apothecary to Her Majesty’s Household – was asked to quickly get to the Queen’s side and Anne contacted Charles and told him to return. When the doctor arrived at 3.25pm, the Queen appeared to have stopped breathing. And as Charles drove back to Balmoral, Dr Glass confirmed that the Queen had passed away.

He agreed a time of death of 3.10pm with Sir Edward Young, and the private secretary then went on to contact Charles. When the call reached the new monarch, he pulled over and stopped the car on the back drive of Balmoral. The author revealed: “After being called ‘Your Majesty’ for the first time, Charles simply said, ‘We’re nearly there’ and then continued up to the castle.” There, the new King and Queen were greeted by Princess Anne and Sir Edward – and Charles was asked the vital question.

“The late Queen’s private secretary asked Charles what name he would reign under, and was surprised to find that the newly-bereaved King consoling him too,” Hardman wrote. Buckingham Palace later confirmed the news of the Queen’s death in a statement that read: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

And just hours after his mother’s death, the new King Charles issued a heartfelt tribute to his mother in a statement to the nation. He said: “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”