Prince Harry touches down in London after rushing to Balmoral following Queen’s death
Duke of Sussex seen dressed in black suit as he boards British Airways flight
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Prince Harry has left Balmoral 12 hours after arriving following the Queen’s death.
The Duke of Sussex was seen leaving the royal residence in the Scottish Highlands at about 8.15am on Friday, with a convoy of two cars passing flowers that had been laid in tributes to his late grandmother.
Two dark Range Rovers arrived at Aberdeen International Airport, led by five police motorbikes, just over an hour later at about 9.20am.
Images showed Harry dressed in a black suit and carrying a black backpack over one shoulder as he boarded a British Airways flight.
He was accompanied by a woman wearing a hi-vis vest, whom he spoke with and at one stage placed his hand on her shoulder.
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A man was earlier seen carrying luggage and suit bags before the duke boarded the flight.
The British Airways flight carrying the duke landed at London Heathrow Airport at 11:32am after completing its journey.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who now live in the US, returned to the UK on Saturday 3 September for the first time since the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration in June.
The couple planned to visit several charities “close to their hearts” during their stay and also travelled to Germany for the Invictus Games 2023 One Year to Go event in Dusseldorf.
They were due to attend the WellChild Awards in London on Thursday evening, where Harry was expected to make a speech, as the final engagement on their tour of Europe before turning to California.
However, they cancelled the engagement so the duke could rush to Balmoral to join the rest of his family following the news doctors were concerned for his grandmother’s health.
Meghan remained in London, however she did not attend the awards.
Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, also remained at home in Windsor where their three children attended their first day at a new school on Thursday.
It is not clear if Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, will now extend their stay in the UK or whether they will attend the Queen’s funeral, for which a date is yet to be announced.
King Charles III is set to leave Balmoral for Aberdeen airport later on Friday to fly back to London.
The nation’s new king is expected to meet prime minister Liz Truss and make his first national address as monarch.
Buckingham Palace announced a period of royal mourning will be observed from now until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, the date of which is yet to be confirmed.
Police on duty at Balmoral Castle began allowing members of the public to stand at the gates to pay their respects to the Queen on Friday morning.
Several people walked to the entrance of the grounds of the Scottish royal retreat from 6.30am to lay bouquets of flowers as a tribute to the late monarch.
One woman was spotted lighting a candle while others were seen reading personal notes written on the flowers.
The area was blocked off for a period on Thursday night when members of the royal family arrived at the castle as news broke of the Queen dying.
The King led the tributes to his “much loved” and “cherished” mother, who reigned for almost 70 years between 1952 and 2022, overseeing huge political and cultural changes in the national life, from the end of the era of colonial rule to Brexit.
The official announcement of her death came at 6.40pm on Thursday, shortly after senior royals rushed to Balmoral to be at her side.
Earlier in the day, MPs in the House of Commons had been told she was under medical supervision because doctors were concerned for her health.
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