Royal photographer Arthur Edwards has revealed how he learned Queen Elizabeth II was dying hours before her death at Balmoral Castle in September 2022, ahead of the release of his new autobiography.
Photographer's trip to Scotland
Edwards, who has photographed the royals for more than 50 years, was in Scotland when the late Queen became frail at Balmoral. He was not at Balmoral itself, but was nearby on the day of her death. The day before, he had flown to Dumfries House in Scotland to photograph Dr Freda Newlands, who had been chosen as Doctor of the Year in The Sun's annual health awards.
Royalty was present at the awards, with King Charles – at the time Prince Charles – presenting them. The King, a surprise guest, spotted Edwards photographing the event and invited him to a dinner that evening for 40 guests.
Signs of the Queen's failing health
Writing in The Sun, Edwards said he attended the dinner and was none the wiser about the late Queen's failing health. This changed the next morning, when he was waiting for a taxi in the hotel lobby to take him to the airport to fly home.
Edwards revealed that Charles's staff came into the lobby, which surprised him, as he knew they were not due to leave for a few more days. When he asked why they were leaving, one replied: “It's all changed, we're going to Balmoral now.”
Edwards also said his taxi driver told him that Charles had been seen getting into a helicopter, which confirmed what was happening.
Final hours at Balmoral
Edwards wrote: “I knew that Queen Elizabeth was fading. She had been too tired to attend the Braemar Games the previous Saturday. I made a phone call to a contact.”
He added: “Camilla's engagements for that morning in Airdrie and Galashiels had been cancelled. Just then, my taxi arrived and the driver apologised, 'I'm sorry I'm late. I went to Dumfries House by mistake, and I've just seen Prince Charles getting into a helicopter'.“
“Six hours later, Queen Elizabeth died peacefully at Balmoral, the one place on Earth where she felt most at home. I hope she is now reunited with Prince Philip.”
New autobiography ahead
Edwards's revelation comes ahead of the release of his new autobiography, Cup Of Tea, Arthur? In the book, he will share some of his most memorable moments photographing the royals over the years, both in the UK and overseas.
This includes being on planes with the late Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, who would reportedly do crosswords together. Having photographed the royals for so long, Edwards is believed to get on well with Charles and Camilla and to have struck up a good friendship with them over the decades.
