'It was living history': Jenna Bush Hager reveals King Charles III's state of mind on night before he became king
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The first daughter of former President George Bush, Jenna Bush Hager, 40, believes the now- King Charles III, 73, was taken aback last week after hearing about his mother, Queen Elizabeth's illness and sudden death shortly after. She spoke on the Today show on Monday, September 12 about how she "had a wonderful conversation that felt joyful" when she met the King for a "lovely meal" last Wednesday evening, on Sept 7. "So I think this was a sort of a surprise," she added.
NBC Today show host Jenna Bush Hager and her husband Henry Hager, had arrived in Scotland on September 7 to prepare for an interview with Charles' wife Camilla. But the then-Duchess of Cornwall's flight had been delayed, so Charles stepped up and invited the couple for a meal that night instead. About two hours before their scheduled chat with Camilla, "we heard sort of running up and down the halls," Jenna explained.
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They did not know then that the next day would bring the loss of the world-famous monarch and mark the end of the longest reign in British history. "We were right by then-Prince Charles', now King Charles III's, office. They said, 'He's on a call can you please be quiet.' Then, all of a sudden, we heard a helicopter," Jenna Bush Hager recalled. "They said, 'The Queen is ill, and they have gone and rushed off to be with her.' We just said our hearts are with them."
The video of Jenna Bush Hager opening up about the night just before Prince Charles became King Charles was posted on the Twitter account of the Today show with the caption, "Jenna Bush Hager opens up about having dinner with now King Charles just hours before it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died"
Jenna Bush Hager opens up about having dinner with now King Charles just hours before it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died. pic.twitter.com/HicTlNSeIt
— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) September 12, 2022
"It was living history," Bush Hager said in the conversation with her co-anchors Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch in British history, died "peacefully" at her summer holiday home at Balmoral estate in Aberdeen, Scotland. Following the announcement of the queen's death, King Charles issued a statement, honoring his "beloved mother."
"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held," his statement said. Her Majesty's funeral will be held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey.