Prince Harry had no idea Duke of Edinburgh had died until the police turned up at his house

31 May 2021

Prince Harry only discovered that the Duke of Edinburgh had died when police visited his home to tell him.

The Duke of Sussex

The Duke of Sussex was reportedly only made aware of his grandfather’s passing when police visited the Los Angeles home he shares with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex - after the 36-year-old royal had slept through calls in the early hours of the morning.

According to TMZ, the police were called to attend after Harry failed to answer calls from US Embassy officials at 3am, which would have told him that Prince Philip had sadly passed away.

But after multiple attempts to make contact went unanswered, an Embassy representative is said to have contacted the sheriff’s department in Santa Barbara to request that an officer be sent to Harry’s house in the upmarket area of Montecito.

Prince Philip - who was 99- died on the morning of April 9 with the news being announced by Buckingham Palace at midday. With Los Angeles being eight time zones ahead of the UK that would have meant it would have been 4am in California.

After stepping back from their roles as full time royals, Harry, Meghan and their two-year-old son Archie, originally moved to Vancouver, Canada before relocating to California in July 2020.

A spokesperson for the couple said at the time: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival."

The couple’s UK home, Frogmore Cottage - which was given to them as a wedding present from the Queen - is now being occupied by Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank and their baby son August. Eugenie is the daughter of the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.