As Queen Elizabeth II lay dying at her beloved Balmoral castle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were creating drama. Much of this is already public knowledge. Robert Hardman is about to release a new book, King Charles III: New King, New Court. He details what happened in the hours before the accession and the aftermath.
Robert Hardman writes a confirms a couple of narratives that have come out in recent years amongst the Sussex drama.
What Stories Does Robert Hardman Confirm?
- The story about the Queen supposedly agreeing to allow her personal nickname to be used for Lilibet Diana’s forename.
- Catherine, the Princess of Wales, not going to Balmoral with William and the reason why.
- What the Queen was doing as she was doing
The Row Over Lilibet Diana’s Name
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in June 2021. The choice of name was a surprise, but not more so than to the Queen.
The original claim, as per People Magazine, was that the Sussexes asked the Queen’s permission to name their daughter after her. They then claimed they would not have used it if she was not supportive. However, it came out later, according to the BBC, that the Queen was NOT asked. Robert Hardman confirms that the BBC story is, in fact, the truth.
According to Hardman, the Queen was outraged that she was not asked. Rebecca English wrote in the Daily Mail that the late monarch was “infuriated.” She couldn’t believe that the Sussexes claimed that she gave them her “blessing” to name their child her private nickname. What else can we expect from a couple who buy themselves awards?
A staff member is quoted as saying, “as angry as I’d ever seen her.”
The Sussexes were livid that the BBC would say something that wasn’t to their liking. They threatened via their lawyers at Shillings to sue the publication. They called what the outlet was saying “false and defamatory.”
The Sussexes then attempted to strong-arm Buckingham Palace into pushing their narrative but were “rebuffed.”
As The Queen Lay Dying
On the day the Queen died, there was massive upheaval over the Sussexes and whether or not Harry was told about his grandmother’s passing before it happened.
According to Robert Hardman, King Charles attempted numerous times to get ahold of Harry personally, but he [Harry] was already in the air by that time. Also, as a side note, the king contacted Prince William via the Palace switchboard and informed the operator, “It’s me,” knowing he could not tell anyone he was the King just yet.
The account in Hardman’s book contradicts what Harry wrote in Spare about how cold his family was towards him upon the Queen’s passing. He claimed that there was very little contact outside of a call from his father telling him that Meghan was not welcome.
Hardman also says that Catherine CHOSE to stay behind and not go to Balmoral. Charles didn’t have to tell her not to as Harry says in Spare. Catherine wanted to be able to see her children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte off at their new school. Kinsey Schofield told Mark Dolan on GB News that Kate was supporting her babies while Meghan was thousands of miles away from hers to collect another award or whatever it is she was doing at the time.
What The Queen Was Doing As She Was Dying
Robert Hardman says, outside of the Sussex drama, Her late Majesty was still working, even from her bed. She had written two letters; one to Charles. The other was to Sir Edward Young. They were found in the locked red box that was sitting beside her bed where she had paperwork.
Hardman also had access to a note written by Sir Edward Young about the Queen’s passing, in which he wrote that Her Majesty had slipped away in her sleep. She was at peace and was not in pain.
Before this, it was noted that The Queen had completed a list of tasks and had planned on doing an audio only conference call from her bed to protect her dignity.
