Prince Harry found out about the death of his beloved grandfather Philip through a dramatic chain of calls which led to a Californian cop telling him to check his phone, it's claimed.
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away on the morning of April 9 which on the west coast of the US was around 3am, so it's not surprising Harry did not get the news straight away.
Harry and Meghan Markle have been living in the US since last year and have a fractious relationship with the rest of the Royal Family.
The strained situation with his brother William and father Prince Charles has been widely reported, both before and after Philip's death.
Now the Sun on Sunday reports that officials were eventually able to contact Harry having gone to great lengths.
The newspapers says it has seen documents showing heard the tragic news after a caller from the US Embassy in London rang Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office at 2.30am local time.
The message was for a policeman to go to Harry and Meghan’s £11m Montecito mansion to tell Harry to “check his phone”.
Police then confirmed, according to the document, that the message was passed on at the Sussexes’ home.
The situation suggests that the challenges of staying in touch while overseas during the pandemic, and the deterioration of the family relationship meant that such measures had to be taken.
The news of Philip’s death was made public by Buckingham Palace at midday.
Harry went on to issue his own tribute to his grandfather in the coming days where he called him a “legend of banter”.
“He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm – and also because you never knew what he might say next,” he said.
“But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right till the end."
Philip’s death came at a low ebb in Harry’s relationship with the Royal Family and it has been claimed that he felt the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah, was “madness”.
Royal historian Robert Lacey has claimed that Gyles Brandreth, a pal of Philip’s, revealed this about the interview and also that the duke felt “no good would come of it”.
The Sussexes spoke with Oprah where they laid bare their problems with the Royal Family that included Harry being critical of the way he was brought up and living life in the public eye.
The details of the calls have emerged just as Harry returned to the UK this week, before the unveiling of a statue in tribute to his late mother Diana.
