King Charles' final duty as Prince of Wales on the day the late Queen died

A royal author has revealed Charles's final royal duty as the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. Hours later, he would receive a phonecall that would change history

King Charles's final act as the Prince of Wales as he rushed to be by his mother's side has been revealed.

Charles had 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, it was on this journey that Charles fulfilled his final duties as heir - reading his briefing papers for the last time as a prince. Straight after that, he made four important phone calls - to Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Prince Harry, telling them to leave for Scotland. Charles arrived at nearby Birkhall - his and Camilla's homely 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.

Sadly, 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. He received the news that she had died as he was driving back to Balmoral when his most senior aide took a call. Charles pulled over and was addressed for the first time as 'Your Majesty' - signalling he was now King.

"Schoolchildren are taught that the longest reign in British history began at a Kenyan watering hole; that Princess Elizabeth was watching wildlife from the branches of a giant fig tree when King George VI died in his sleep on 6 February 1952 that his dutiful daughter, having climbed up as a Princess, climbed down as Queen," Hardman wrote.

"History will record that, seven decades later, on the afternoon of 8 September 2022, her son and heir was on an unmarked Scottish country road, at the wheel of his car, when he was first addressed as 'Your Majesty'. He had been to visit the Queen at Balmoral Castle earlier in the day and had then spent a few hours at his nearby home, Birkhall, before returning to the castle. In the manner of his late mother, he had climbed into the car as both Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay (his title when in Scotland). Twenty minutes later, he would climb out of it as King Charles III - with the new Queen at his side."

It would later transpire in the Queen's official death certificate that she had passed away at 3:10pm on 8 September. Buckingham Palace announced at 12.50pm that Prince William , Prince Andrew , Prince Edward and Sophie had started to make their way to Scotland at 12:50. Sadly, they were not in time. They landed at 3:50pm, 40 minutes after her death. With William at the wheel, they drove to Balmoral, arriving at 5.06pm. Prince Harry , meanwhile, left Luton airport onboard a private jet at about 5.30pm. He was still in the air when the announcement of the queen's death was made at 6.30pm.