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In the painful moments preceding Queen Elizabeth II's death, King Charles got a dire warning from his closest advisor.
As the world watched the royal family negotiate this difficult period, the gravity of the issue grew more obvious. The evening before Her Majesty's death, Princess Anne and Private Secretary Sir Clive Alderton called Charles to emphasize the need of saying farewell.
On September 7, Charles, who was 150 miles away in Ayrshire on official business, was urged to return to Balmoral immediately. In his book Charles III: New King, New Court, Robert Hardman describes the following conversation: Sir Clive emphasized, "Think how you would feel if you never said goodbye."
The following morning, Charles flew by helicopter with Camilla and contacted family members, including Prince William and Prince Harry, to invite them to Balmoral.
He arrived at his Scottish estate, Birkhall, around 10:30 a.m., and leased a Land Rover to hasten to the Queen's bedside. Tragically, he was not present when she died at 3:10 p.m.; after stepping away for a moment to clear his mind, he learned of her death while driving back to Balmoral. At that point, he was addressed as 'Your Majesty,' indicating his ascension to King.
Since the Queen's death, Sir Clive Alderton has become the most senior aide at Buckingham Palace.
Since 2006, he has been a valued advisor to both the King and Queen Camilla. His impressive career includes appointments in Poland, Belgium, Singapore, and France, as well as as Britain's Ambassador to Morocco.
