King Charles had just one tear-jerking question to ask when his grandfather died
King Charles asked a heartbreaking question after his grandfather, George VI, passed away in 1952, a royal author has said. King Charles was only three when...King Charles asked a heartbreaking question after his grandfather, George VI, passed away in 1952, a royal author has said.
King Charles was only three when his grandad passed away and, as Robert Hardman notes in his new book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, he is one of two people alive today who were staying in Sandringham House when the king died. The other is Princess Anne, who was just a one-year-old at the time. When little Charles was told of the royalâs death, he had one very upsetting question.
King Charles heartbreaking question when his grandfather died
King George VI died on February 8, 1952 at the age of 56. He and his wife, Queen Mary, had been at Sandringham House looking after Charles and Anne whilst Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were away on their first Commonwealth tour. King George was found dead by his valet in his bed, and it was his wife who broke the news to little Charles.
The three-year-old was told his grandfather had died by his grandmother (Queen Mother).
According to Hardman, Queen Mary âexplained to Prince Charles that the King had been found by his valet when delivering his early morning cup of tea. Charles listened gravely before asking: âWho drank the tea?'â
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Charles would later make several references to his grandfather. When he was reportedly offered comfort after the Queenâs death and told she and Mary would be âlooking afterâ him.
He apparently replied: Â âThatâs very kind of you, he replied, âbut the person whose hand I feel on my shoulder is the Kingâ.â
Charles learned about the Queenâs death after hearing just two words
After being present when his grandfather passed away in 1952, King Charles had to endure the same heartache 70 years later. Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 on September 6, 2022, at Balmoral in Scotland.
The king would have learned he ascended to the throne through hearing the words âYour Majestyâ on a phone call, the addressing of a monarch. The Queenâs passing is said to have been âvery peacefulâ and she died âIn her sleep,â according to a memo. âShe wouldnât have been aware of anything. No pain.â
The memo wouldâve been written by Sir Edward Young, Queen Elizabethâs private secretary.
However, Buckingham Palace said it wouldnât comment on the new royal book as it âdoes not comment on unauthorized biographies.â
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