Police appeared at Prince Harry’s door in the early morning hours the night his grandfather died after he didn’t pick up calls from his family.
Prince Harry discovered the tragic news of his grandfather’s death when police visited him after sleeping through calls in the early morning hours, it’s reported.
Police were forced to visit the royal’s LA home after he didn’t pick up to US Embassy officials who called after 3 am to tell him of Prince Philip’s death, TMZ claims.
The Sun reports that after repeated attempts to contact Harry, the Embassy representative allegedly called the sheriff’s department in Santa Barbara to ask that an officer be sent to the Duke’s home in exclusive Montecito.
Harry was finally told of Philip’s death after a police officer arrived at the property’s gates he shares with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and told him to call the Embassy urgently.
It’s unknown whether the royal’s phone was on silent, turned off, or if he and Meghan are sound sleepers.
Prince Philip died on April 9 at Windsor Castle, eight-time zones ahead of California.
Buckingham Palace announced the news in a statement at noon UK time. In LA, it would have been 4 am. It’s understood the Royal Family was desperate to personally tell Harry of the death to spare him the distress of learning the news in the media first.
Last month, the Duke of Sussex released a poignant tribute to his grandfather, calling him a “master of the barbecue, the legend of banter, and cheeky right till the end”. Harry returned to the UK for the funeral without pregnant Meghan, who was advised not to travel by her doctors.
He revealed last week he’d been “afraid” to return and see his family face-to-face for the first time in a year – because it could “trigger” his past trauma.
Philip died a month after Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired.
During the bombshell chat, the pair made allegations that a senior royal had made a racist comment about the color of Archie’s skin while Meghan was still pregnant.
Oprah later clarified neither the Queen nor the Duke of Edinburgh had been responsible for the comment.
Meghan also told the chat show host she no longer wanted to be alive while pregnant with her firstborn.
The revelations during the interview are thought to have made The Firm even more eager to alert Harry of Philip’s death. During Harry’s return, he spoke privately with Brother William and Father Charles, and millions of royal fans hoped a reconciliation was on the way.
