Royals’ saddest journey

WHEN the Queen's medical team confirmed to aides early yesterday that her 70-year reign was heading into its final hours her closest family cancelled engagements and rushed to be by her bedside.

- Jonathan Prynn

But it is thought only her two eldest children, heir Prince Charles and daughter Princess Anne, were able to complete the sad journeys to the monarch's Highland estate at Balmoral in time to say their final goodbyes before she slipped away.

Officially to the outside world the 96-year-old monarch was under "medical supervision" at her Aberdeenshire retreat, but the extreme gravity of the situation was clear by the haste of the response from all senior royals.

By chance, both Charles and Anne were in Scotland at the time of the Queen's sudden deterioration and were able to be with their mother well ahead of the rest of the family.

Senior aides ordered the Queen's burgundy-liveried helicopter to travel up from Windsor as early as 6.48am to collect Charles from Dumfries House in Ayrshire, where he had stayed the night after attending an international symposium on allergies.

He was seen boarding the aircraft carrying a briefcase for the short trip to Royal Deeside, arriving at Balmoral at 10.27am.

Camilla - now the Queen Consort - was staying at the couple's Scottish residence Birkhall and travelled the eight miles to Balmoral by car.