Palace hits back over claim Prince Harry was ‘last-to-know’ about Queen’s death

Palace aides reacted angrily to claims last night that Prince Harry had been given just five minutes’ notice of his grandmother’s death before it was made public.

A newspaper report said the devastated royal had been the last to know about her passing – and was even told after Prime Minister Liz Truss. The Daily Telegraph suggested this was a further example of the rift between the prince and his family.

But there was clear irritation at Buckingham Palace that such claims had emerged on the eve of the Queen’s funeral, which was considered hugely disrespectful. 

In a rare statement on such a private matter, a spokesman for the King stressed: ‘The public was only informed after every family member had been informed.’

The Mail understands that while it is true that Harry was told shortly before the news became public, the reason for this was because he was on a flight to Scotland and therefore not contactable.

Last night, the original story had been taken down from The Telegraph website. An amended one was then published claiming that Harry was not treated differently to other family members.